Wandering Heart
by Reinaa
Summary: Kisumoto Hajime has an abusive father and her mother is a prostitute. Her only friend was killed right in front of her by her father and she has the ability to see spirits. What will happen as she relocates to Karakura Town and meets Ichigo? Will she be able to escape and live a happy life or will her father exact his punishment on her when he gets out of prison? Chapter 14 is up!
1. Escape

**[[ Hello everyone!**

**I hope you enjoy this story as I continue to write it.**

**Please let me know your thoughts!**

**(Ps. First chapter is like a flashback)**

**I do not own Bleach. ]]**

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_Please everyone; be advised that it is not safe to leave your houses at night. The police force is working extremely hard to find Miss Fukumoto Rei's killer and they wish to prevent any more killings from occurring and advise that if possible; it is best to stay indoors. If you must leave, do not walk alone. I repeat, do NOT walk alone._

_If you are out in the neighborhood and feel that you are not safe, please call either the police force or the help hotline whose number is located below._

_Lastly, we have just received an update from the witness about the murderer. It appears the murderer—_

The television screen was abruptly turned off and the small white haired child turned her attention to the person behind her.

"What did I say about watching TV without me around?" A tall muscular man with a rough voice warned.

"Papa…" the child spoke out in a soft voice as she was frightened by the man's voice.

"Where's your mother?" the man asked, or rather demanded.

"Mama… I-I don't know."

"Nani? You dare lie to me? To your father? You think I'm stupid? You think I haven't noticed how she's been disappearing almost every night for the past two weeks? You know where she is. Tell me. Now!" his voice of anger echoed throughout the house causing the girl to flinch in fear.

You'd think she would have already gotten used to the screaming and yelling, the fighting and blaming, as well as the hitting and the isolation but even if this abuse has been occurring since the little girl learned to walk, she still held on to the hope that her father would change. However, she knew such a thing wasn't possible and that's why she must protect her mother, no matter how harshly she gets punished for it.

"Not gonna talk? Okay, so what is it tonight? You want the box or the bat?"

Neither option was favorable. The box is a wooden chest that the girl would be locked in overnight and would be opened before school started the next morning. She would receive no food, no water, and no bathroom breaks. She would spend over 12 hours trapped inside a box.

The bat is what you would expect it to be. The child's father was a professional baseball star until a scandal ruined his career. He would take his old bat and whip his child for almost an hour. With the stamina and force his body has built up with his years of training, he's broken many of her bones already.

Tonight, the option was given to her. No food, no water, no bathroom, or getting beat by a bat with the amount of force to hit a baseball. What option would you choose? To starve or to have your body slowly break?

"The b-box…" the child stuttered as she slowly stood from where she sat.

The man then pulled a wooden box out from the closet in the living room and roughly opened it. He spoke no words; he simply glared at his daughter. She picked at her fingers and made her way inside. As she lay on the cold rough bottom of the chest, the man continued in silence and shut the lid with a loud thud.

Darkness enshrouded the child and the click of the lock was heard. The man then proceeded to push the box back into the closet and proceeded to bed. The creaking of the stairs grew fainter as her father walked to his room and the child started crying when she knew she would not be heard.

"Mama…" she cried out in between her tears, "Mama…"

. . .

Morning approached and the sun shone its bright dazzling light through the window of the living room. The closing of the door was heard and after a few minutes, the creaking sound of the stairs was heard quickly as if someone was rushing down the stairs.

With the click of the lock, the box was opened and the child jumped into the arms of her mother who embraced her child deeply.

"Hajime. I'm so sorry I couldn't make it back home sooner. I'm so so sorry." She spoke as regret took over her tone of voice.

"Mama…" was all she was able to say as she tightly hugged her mother.

Hajime's mother, Aiko, is a tall and beautiful porcelain skinned women. She possessed lovely features: she had long silky black hair and her silver eyes sparkled like diamonds. Hajime too, possessed her mother's sparkling silver eyes. However, with her late arrival home last night, she also received punishment from her husband.

"Looks like I was too careless these past couple of days going out for so long. Did you tell your father where I was?" Aiko asked as she looked into her daughter's eyes.

Hajime shook her head.

"Good. Listen Hajime, with this side job I picked up, I'm making nearly triple I did at my desk job. The boss gave me this week off since I told him our situation but by next week, I have high profile clients that are requesting to work with me so I'll be making even more money. We're almost there my dear daughter, we're nearing our escape. I'll try my best to protect you, okay?"

"Mama. I will protect mama too." Hajime grabbed her mother's hand and tightly squeezed it.

Aiko gave a smile to Hajime and said, "That's right. We only have each other. We need to look out for each other. Now, it's almost time for school, we can't have you be late, they'll call your father. Let's get you dressed and you can eat breakfast on the way. Come, quickly."

Aiko and Hajime quickly got themselves freshened up and changed just in time to make it to the school bus that arrived in front of their house. Aiko grabbed her briefcase while Hajime grabbed her lunchbox and decided to skip on breakfast. They ran towards the bus and they bid one another farewell.

"Have fun in school today." Aiko said while kissing her daughter's forehead.

Hajime quickly made her way on the bus and the bus departed. Aiko made her way to her neighbor's house, which also happened to be her close friend, and they both made their way to work together.

On the school bus, Hajime took a seat next to her red headed best friend named Akashi. Akashi had brown eyes and crimson red hair that was placed into a ponytail. He was Hajime's only friend and would always look out for her as he suspected that she does not come from a stable home.

"Yo, Hajime-hime!" he greeted her with a large teeth revealing smile.

"Morning, Akashi-kun." She greeted as she smiled a gentle smile at her friend.

The bus ride to their school took about 15 minutes and the two friends would talk nonstop until they reached their destination. Upon arriving at school, the two walked to their homeroom class and sat next to each other as they did for the past 3 years that they've known each other.

As the day went on and it was finally lunchtime, Akashi and Hajime sat together and Akashi gave a small yellow box to Hajime. Today was Hajime's 8th birthday.

"Akashi-kun, what is this?" Hajime asked as she looked at the box questioningly.

"It's your birthday present, what else?" he replied with a smile, "Open it! It may not be much but it was all my mom would let me get you."

Hajime put down her chopsticks and slowly motioned the yellow box over to her. While looking at Akashi with a smile, she opened her box and to her surprise, there was a lavender hair ribbon inside.

"So… Do you like it?"

Hajime's gaze softened as she looked at the ribbon. She felt a sense of overflowing happiness and genuinely thanked Akashi for his gift.

Akashi helped tie the ribbon on Hajime's head and it suited her appearance beautifully. The ribbon, now taking the appearance of a bow, was placed on the right side of Hajime's head with a slight tilt.

"Happy birthday, Hime."

"Arigato, Akashi-Kun."

. . .

It was finally time to go home and Akashi thought it would be a good idea to go to Hajime's house to spend more time with her since it's her birthday. Hajime hesitated since her father usually comes home about two hours after school ends and she didn't want anything to happen to Akashi.

"Come on, Hime! We've been friends for over three years already and I still have yet to come over your house! It's your birthday, can't we celebrate a little?"

"S-Sure but you can't stay long, okay? My papa doesn't really like visitors in the house."

"Hai hai!"

The two boarded the bus and made their way to Hajime's house. As they entered the house, Hajime was being extremely cautious, as she feared that her father might be home for some reason. There were no sounds, however, it was only the two of them and Hajime was relieved at that fact.

"So, where's your room?" Akashi asked, as he was excited to finally pay a visit to his friend's house.

"Up here. Follow me." Hajime instructed in her usual gentle tone.

Hajime's room was pretty plain for an eight-year-old girl's room. The walls were a cocoa color, her bed sheet and pillowcases were a lavender color that matched her new hair bow, and there were hardly any toys or forms of entertainment in the room. It was neat, almost _too _neat. Akashi looked around the room in astonishment and compared the environment to his own room.

Akashi's bedroom is much more colorful, is filled with toys, games, and he even has his own TV. While looking at Hajime's room, he felt surprised but mostly upset. He couldn't believe that Hajime was living such a life and was saddened by the fact that Hajime isn't getting what she deserves as a child.

Suddenly, a slam was heard. Hajime froze in her tracks and it felt as if the hairs on the back of her neck were standing. She quickly and quietly made her way to the top of the stairs and saw her father take a seat on the living room couch with a can of beer in his hand.

_Papa?! What is he doing home so early? This is bad. I have to get Akashi out of here somehow. _

Hajime ran back to her room and closed her door as quietly as she could. Akashi was confused.

"Akashi-kun." She whispered to him, "You have to go. My papa's home and he doesn't seem to be in a good mood."

"Eh? But I just got here and why isn't he in a good mood? Shouldn't he be happy and celebrate your birthday with you?"

"Papa probably had a long day at work. You can't leave through the front door, you're gonna have to climb out through the window."

"The window?!" Akashi exclaimed, a little too loud for Hajime's liking.

"Shh!" She warned as she covered his mouth with her hand. "I've made a rope from my old pants that I've kept. You can climb down using that but please, you must keep quiet."

"Hime…"

"Akashi… Onegai." Her wavering silver eyes sparkled, as she looked Akashi in his eyes.

"I understand. I'll do my best to keep my mouth shut."

Hajime then proceeded to look through a box she placed under her bed and in it was a rope she made about two months ago from pants that got dirty or were too big to fit her.

She went over to the window and quietly opened it to avoid her father from catching on and carefully threw the rope out the window. She tied the other end of the rope to her bed stand and told Akashi to start climbing.

"Then, I guess I'll see you tomorrow at school, Hime." Akashi said as he was preparing to leave.

"See you tomorrow and I'm sorry that it has to be like this. Now go,"

Akashi took hold of the rope and started to slowly climb down.

Hajime's neighbor, Mei, spotted the rope from her house and when she saw Akashi climb from it, she knew that Hajime was in danger of getting punished but there was nothing she could do to help in this situation. If Mei went over there to help, Akashi would be discovered and both Hajime and Akashi would be punished.

Hajime held onto the other end of the rope with as much force as she could and Akashi tried to be quick as well as cautious. When Akashi finally managed to reach the living room window, he saw a glimpse of Hajime's dad and saw the four empty cans of beer on the table. Hajime's father gulped down another can and threw it on the table along with the rest. He then suddenly stood from his seat and that caught Akashi off guard causing him to lose his grip on the rope and fall with a loud thud on the lawn.

Both Mei and Hajime were frozen in fear and Hajime's father quickly ran to the kitchen drawer and took out a handgun. He ran to the front lawn and saw Akashi sprawled out on the floor as well as the rope that hung from Hajime's window. He knew exactly what was going on and with his mind in a drunken haze, any word, any action could be dangerous.

"KISUMOTO HAJIME! YOU GET DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT!" His rough voice caused the neighborhood to shake in fear and no one wanted to know what happened next. Only Mei continued to observe the scene and as she knew how dangerous it was going to get, she quickly called Aiko to tell her of the situation.

As ordered, Hajime ran down to where her father was and was unable to face him. Her gaze was pointed towards the ground and she shut her eyes, almost as if it were instinct.

"Why is there a stranger in my house?" her father asked angrily.

Hajime did not answer, she was too afraid.

Then a gunshot was heard. He aimed it on the ground near Hajime's feet. Both Hajime and Akashi were frozen in fear.

"Answer me now, or I promise you, this next bullet won't miss." Her father warned as he aimed the pistol at Akashi.

Hajime quickly rushed in front of Akashi and spread out her arms to protect him, "He's a friend! He wanted to come over and celebrate my birthday with me!"

"Who are you to allow people to come to MY house? And you say he's your friend? Is he the one that gave you that stupid ribbon?!" Hajime's father grasped onto Hajime's hair ribbon and forcefully ripped it off her hair, tugging her hair along with it.

Akashi was unable to watch Hajime get treated in such a way and tried to help her but Hajime's father was simply too strong and he knocked Akashi back.

"Sir…" Akashi began as he knelt down in front of Hajime's father. "Please, it's my fault. I'm the one that asked Hajime if I could come over. Don't punish her, punish me instead."

Hajime's father took the bait and aimed his gun at Akashi once again. Fear struck Hajime since she knew what was going to happen next, as did Akashi. He gave a last glance at Hajime and greeted her farewell with his usual teeth revealing smile and a gunshot echoed throughout the neighborhood once again.

Blood stained the bright green grass and Akashi's lifeless body fell to the ground with a thud.

"No…" was all Hajime was able to let out. With widened eyes, Hajime slowly walked over to her friend but was stopped by her father.

"And where the hell do you think you're going? Don't think that you're not getting punished either. You want to know something? You were a mistake. Your mother and I never planned on starting a family and I tried to kill you with every chance I got. You're the reason all our money is going away. If you weren't born, your mother and I would be living off somewhere nicer than this trash of a neighborhood. I never liked you and I never will." Hajime's father once again pointed the gun at his daughter and as she looked into it's dark barrel, she felt a sense of fear as well as a sense of relief. Will she finally be free from the life she's been given?

With the click of the chamber, Hajime's only seconds away from her destiny of life or death.

"Stop right there! Drop the gun! NOW!" A mysterious voice yelled.

The house was surrounded with police officers that all had their guns aimed at Hajime's father. As Hajime's father grew panicked, he dropped the gun and immediately ran away but as a result, he got shot in the leg and landed on the ground. The surrounding officers made their way to apprehend him.

"You did this, didn't you?!" He yelled as he glared at his daughter, "I promise you, I'll come back and punish you, Hajime!" While continuing to yell at his daughter under his breath, his voice faded as he was forcibly placed into the police car.

Hajime, who had been silently watching the scene unfold before her eyes was only concerned about one thing: Akashi. She hurriedly made her way to Akashi and even though she knew he was dead, she continued to call his name.

Then, the sound of footsteps on the grass approached Hajime and she saw a pair waraji's coming into view. As she motioned her head upwards at the visitor she knew he was not a normal being. The man had short bright teal hair and piercing green eyes. He wore a black Shihakusho and wielded a katana. The man possessed a rough appearance yet there was a subtle hint of kindness behind his eyes.

"Who… who are you?" Hajime asked as she looked at the man with tearful eyes.

"You can see me? Well, your reiatsu is pretty advanced compared to the normal humans, it shouldn't be too much of a surprise."

"Reiatsu? What… do you mean? Am I… the only one that can see you?" Hajime asked as she looked at her surroundings and noticed that everyone else was focused on their own tasks. "You're different then the spirits I see on occasion, are you a spirit?"

"Spirit? No, I'm a Shinigami and I'm here for this boy's soul."

"Nani? Please, please don't hurt him."

"Listen here little one," The man said as he knelt down to face Hajime, "I'm not here to hurt him. I'm here to send him to the land after death."

"The land after death?"

"You'll uncover that when it's time for you to know." The man then unsheathed his katana and performed Konso on Akashi. His spirit was released from his body and was sent to the afterlife. "Now, it's time I get going. It was a pleasure to meet you, Kisumoto Hajime. I hope I don't have to see you anytime soon." The man then disappeared with the gust of the wind.

_He knew my name? Who was he? Shinigami? Like the Grim Reaper? But… he didn't seem to give off a bad vibe and what he did to Akashi; it feels as if Akashi's soul is in a better place. I don't understand…_

Hajime's thoughts were interrupted when officers covered Akashi's body with a tarp and prepared to move his body to a different location.

"Hajime!" A woman's voice yelled out.

As Hajime turned to the location of the voice, she saw her mother running toward her. As they greeted each other with deep embracing hugs, tears filled both their eyes.

"Mama! Mama!"

"I know, I know. I'm sorry I didn't call them sooner. Mei called me and told me what happened, if only I had called them sooner, they could have saved your friend. Are you okay?" Aiko scanned her daughter from head to toe and only noticed that her hair was a mess and her eyes were red and puffy from crying.

"Hajime, I quit my desk job and decided to keep my night job that I recently picked up. But, we're going to have to move, okay? We're going to be relocated to a town called Karakura Town and you'll be starting a new year at a new school. Since I'm going to be working full time, they paid me in advanced and we're able to afford a small house for the two of us. Come on, let's pack what we absolutely need and get out of this hellish house."

Hajime and Aiko made their way into their house and immediately started packing their things. Since they both had very limited things in the first place, they managed to finish packing very quickly.

Aiko talked to the police officers and they were told that Hajime's father would get at least 10 years in prison for what he did and even 10 years didn't seem like enough for Aiko but at least they'll get a head start in their escape. Aiko thanked the police for their hard work and said her goodbyes to Mei.

Hajime and Aiko then took a bus to Karakura Town and started to try and build their lives over again. On the bus ride to Karakura Town, Aiko fixed the ribbon in Hajime's hair and Hajime was able to mourn and cry over Akashi's death.


	2. 1O Years Later

**[[ Here's Chapter 2 for you lovelies!**

**Thank you for taking the time to read this!**

**I would love to know your thoughts! ]]**

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Night has fallen in Karakura Town and the sound of a Hollow's roar echoed throughout the town. As the moon shone brightly, it illuminated the town in an iridescent light. The clacking sounds of waraji's (straw sandals) were heard rushing on top of the rooftops as they made their way toward the Hollow. Quickly and swiftly, the Hollow was exterminated and a moment of peace was restored in Karakura Town once again. Ichigo has been left in charge of taking care of the Hollow appearances in Karakura Town and with the help of his friends; they have been able to maintain peace. However, this special group of five friends weren't the only ones that were able to sense spiritual energy and see spirits, what Ichigo was unaware of that night was that someone was observing him through their bedroom window.

The next morning, everyone was gathering at Karakura High School since classes were starting in about 20 minutes. When a young shy looking girl arrived at school, many of the students that were standing outside looked at the girl with menacing looks. The girl had long straight flowy white hair. Her hair length was a little past her waist and she had side swept bangs that framed her face perfectly. Also, she wore a lavender ribbon that was slightly tilted on the side of her head that complimented her sparkling silver eyes that possessed a tint of lavender. As she felt the glares directed toward her, she felt a sense of panic and fear rush through her body as she instinctively put her hands together and started fidgeting. She tried to quickly make her way into the building but as she picked up her pace, she bumped into someone.

"Ah! Gomenesai!" Her soft calming voice yelled out in panic as she gave a bow to the person she bumped into.

The girl she bumped into was named Dia; she was the popular girl of class 4-A. She had wavy orange hair that was put into twintails. Standing alongside Dia were her two followers, or rather, "friends."

"Hey, if it isn't Hajime-Chan. Ne, what's the rush?" Dia said in a teasing and mocking tone as she looked down on Hajime. Hajime tried to look past Dia to ignore her but Dia was persistent.

"Hajime-Chan~" Dia teased in a sing-songy voice, "Oi, where are you looking at? I'm over here. Oh, don't tell me it's happening already." Dia dug through her school bag and took out twenty dollars, waving it in front of Hajime's face, which changed Hajime's focus on the money instead.

"Ah, see, you're finally becoming like your mom! You know, being a prostitute and all, she doesn't pay attention to anything unless there's money involved." After saying such harsh words to Hajime, Dia's menacing smile was like daggers to Hajime.

Not only was Dia having fun but so were the other students. They were laughing at Dia's comment and they also joined in on the bullying saying things like, "Hey, if I give her my paycheck, how much time would I get with her?" and "She must be teaching you some tips, right? I can't wait until you follow into her footsteps." All these remarks were always followed by laughter and Hajime would always try to fight back the tears that formed but there were times where she was unsuccessful.

With tears welling up in her eyes, she tried to push them back and made a run for it toward the building. As she ran with tears blurring her vision, she accidentally bumped into Ichigo who was standing by the lockers in the hallway. She quickly turned to apologize and while doing so, she tried to hide her face but Ichigo was able to see her tears and as he tried to comfort the saddened girl, she was already out of sight.

"Kurosaki-kun? Is everything okay?" Orihime was beside Ichigo and saw the whole thing but didn't notice Hajime's tears.

"Hey, Inoue, that girl, who was she?"

"Ah… I think her name was Hajime? Kisumoto Hajime, she's a year above us, she's in class 4-A. I've actually heard a lot about her."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you see-" Before Orihime was able to finish her sentence, the school bell rang and the vice principal went outside to tell everyone to quickly get to class.

Hajime made her way to the bathroom and quickly entered one of the stalls. She wiped away her tears and took deep breaths to try and calm herself down. Soon after, the bell rang and it was time for the first class of the day to begin.

Hajime is in class 4-A and it was her last year at Karakura High. As she entered her class, everyone stared at her and started snickering. Hajime took her seat next to the window and ignored everyone. She was thinking back to what she saw yesterday.

_It was those monsters again… And that presence I felt yesterday, there's no mistake, I felt a similar presence not too long ago, was it that boy I bumped in to? Sigh… Why couldn't you tell me more about who you were, Nori? _

* * *

_5 Years Ago_

Hajime has been in Karakura Town for five years already and her mom has been working harder than ever in the Red Light District to raise her daughter. Hajime knew that the only reason why Aiko took the job was for the money and she felt burdened by such a fact because if Hajime weren't alive, Aiko wouldn't be working in such a place. Hajime only blames herself for the fate of her family.

One night, when Aiko was working late, Hajime took a walk around town. Even though Hajime has been here for a while already, she was still pretty lonely. She missed Akashi and had a hard time making friends since she believes that she will only cause them harm.

While Hajime was deep in thought, she was unaware of the incoming car that was racing down the street. She was hit upon impact and the car simply drove away as fast as it could. Hajime sustained serious injuries but somehow still managed to stay alive.

Thinking about her mother, Hajime was afraid that she'll cause her mother pain and didn't want to leave just yet and that was when she saw a familiar figure approach her.

"Hajime, I told you I didn't want to see you anytime soon." Waraji's were heard clacking against the gravel and a bright head of teal hair were in Hajime's line of sight.

"It's you… From that time with Akashi…" She barely managed to say as blood was flowing from her mouth.

"The name's Nori and I really can't have you die right now, it's not time yet." Nori then knelt down beside Hajime and started to heal her injuries.

Breathing became easier and the amount of blood Hajime was losing was lessening but the pain still remained.

"Please," Hajime began, "Won't you tell me who you are?"

"I've already told you, I'm a Shinigami. I fight for the peace of this town and send souls that have passed to the afterlife."

"Fight for peace?"

"When souls stay in the Human World for too long, or they lose their heart to despair or regret, they turn into monsters called Hollow. Our job is to purify those Hollow and send the souls to a place called Soul Society."

"Soul… Society? What is that?"

Before Nori was able to answer Hajime's questions, sirens from ambulances were heard approaching and it was time for Nori to leave. He stood from Hajime's side and looked into Hajime's silver eyes, "That's all for today Hajime."

"Wait! How… do you know my name?"

"You can say, I'm your guardian angel. I've always been watching over you Hajime, from the moment you were born. That's all you need to know." Nori then disappeared from sight and Hajime was taken to the hospital to tend to her injuries.

* * *

The next class Hajime was taking was English and in this class, everyone felt intimidated by the teacher. She was very strict and you could say she was very possessive of her things. She would fail students if they use her stapler and didn't bring it back to her desk. That's why when all the students go to class, they never leave her classroom, and they always bring extra pencils, pens, paper, and have all their materials or else they will get an F.

As everyone sat in their seats, the teacher called out the attendance and then class began. About 20 minutes into the class, the teacher asked for volunteers to read the excerpt the class was looking at aloud in English. The students were hesitant and after a minute of no volunteers, that's when she would pick randomly on students. However, before she could, something strange happened. Hajime suddenly stood from her seat; she looked out the window with a terrified and surprised look.

"Ah, Kisumoto-San. Thank you for volunteering, now can you please read the first poem to us?" As the teacher finished her sentence, Hajime wasn't listening and the teacher got a little irritated. "Kisumoto-San!" The sudden raise in tone brought Hajime back to her senses.

"Gomen ne Sensei, ah... 'The morning grass glistened from the sparkling dew, the morning sun gleamed its bright orangey hues. The chirping melody of birds soared above, the air filled with the smell of rain and love.'" When Hajime finished reading her sentence, she sat back down and the teacher continued on with the class. Hajime continued to look outside and then she saw a familiar head of orange running across the school grounds.

_It's him. That boy from earlier, the presence I've been feeling since a few years ago. I believe his name was Kurosaki Ichigo. How could I have missed it? I must go after him, I need to know if he's seen Akashi!_

Hajime shot up her hand and interrupted her teacher's lecture.

"Yes, Kisumoto-San? What is it? You know I don't like interruptions."

"Ah, eto… I'm not feeling too well, may I go to the nurses office?"

The teacher scanned Hajime's face before giving her an answer, "You looks fine to me, what exactly is the problem?"

"Eh? Ah, I-I have… cramps…" she said finishing her voice in a soft voice that the teacher wasn't able to hear and ended up having to repeat herself. "I…I have cramps…" upon repeating her statement to allow her teacher to hear herself more clearly, a few snickers were heard in the room and Dia took it upon herself to turn the spotlight on Hajime.

"It must be the baby." Dia exclaimed while giving Hajime an evil smirk. Hajime looked over at Dia in surprise and gave a sigh of disbelief.

"Oh my, Kisumoto-San, I didn't know you were pregnant!"

_Neither did I_, Hajime thought to herself as she turned to face Yuuko.

"You should have told me at the beginning of class, congratulations! Go ahead but make sure you bring that pass back to me by the end of the day or I'll have to give you an F for effort and conduct, no exceptions, understand? I can't tell you how many times you kids have lost my passes." Yuuko explained as she was digging through her drawer for the pass.

"I understand, thank you." Hajime said as she stood from her seat, grabbed her bag from her chair, and took the pass from Yuuko.

Hajime made her way to the exit at the back of the school and managed to catch a quick glimpse of a bright orange head turning a corner and she immediately followed after him.

Upon arriving at the source of the spiritual energy, Ichigo was greeted by an Adjuchas class hollow. Adjuchas are formed by the cannibalism of other hollow and Adjuchas are considered a threat to Soul Society for they possess the same spiritual power of a captain of the Gotei 13.

The Adjuchas was at least three times Ichigo's height and its roar caused vibration currents to form in the air. Seeing an Adjuchas appear was a shock to Ichigo and although he was aware of the amount of spiritual energy that Karakura Town possessed, he's only encountered a handful of Adjuchas when defending his hometown.

The Adjuchas immediately dashed toward Ichigo and Ichigo was able to defend against its attacks and when the Adjuchas was about to strike down on Ichigo, Ichigo suddenly disappeared and the Adjuchas lost sight of him for a brief moment. The Adjuchas' instinct was to immediately look upward and Ichigo was seen lunging downward which resulted in a slash mark being formed on the Adjuchas' arm. Once again, the Adjuchas and Ichigo initiated in close combat as the Adjuchas was powering up a cero. During that time, Ichigo was preparing to fire his Getsuga Tenshou to quickly purify the hollow.

Hidden behind a building watching the battle was Hajime who looked at the Adjuchas and Ichigo with curiosity but then she noticed a spark of red in the corner of her eye. A couple of buildings in front of her were a similar Adjuchas that was preparing a cero that appeared to be very strong and powerful.

_This is bad_, Hajime thought to herself.

As the cero was fired at Ichigo, Hajime yelled out in panic, "Kurosaki-San, behind you!"

With the suddenness of the scream, Ichigo turned around instantly and shot his Getsuga Tenshou at the cero and the Adjuchas hiding, purifying it.

With everything going according to the Adjuchas' plan, the cero the first Adjuchas was preparing has finished and was launched toward Ichigo. The contact was too close, he wouldn't make it in time, then a sudden chant was heard, "Dance, Sode no Shirayuki. Some no Mai, Tsukishiro." With the ending of the chant, a white pillar of ice entrapped the Adjuchas before the cero could reach a farther distance and shattered, purifying the Adjuchas. A petite young girl with black hair in the same robe as Ichigo was wearing appeared and Hajime was surprised to see the two of them.

While Hajime was focused on the two strong beings in front of her, she was unable to focus her energy on sensing the hollow that was behind her. The hollow reached out and grabbed her causing Hajime to react in pain, as hollows possess an acidic touch.

The scream startled Rukia and Ichigo but before they were able to attack the hollow, another incantation was heard, "Howl, Zabimaru." A segmented blade rushed through the air and made its way into the right shoulder of the hollow. Reacting to the pain, the hollow threw aside Hajime with an intense amount of force. Renji quickly used shunpo to catch her and Ichigo used Getsuga Tenshou to purify the hollow.

When the situation calmed down, everyone gathered around Hajime and Renji. When Renji uncovered Hajime's left arm, it was covered in intense burn marks. Hajime was in excruciating pain; her eyes were shut tight, her teeth clenched, and her right hand trying to put pressure on her injured arm only causing it to hurt more.

"Oi! Oi!" Renji yelled at Hajime with a sense of worry and disbelief in his voice as he was trying to get her attention. Upon hearing his voice, Hajime slowly opened her eyes and a vision of Akashi appeared in her mind as she looked at Renji.

"Aka…shi…?" Renji's eyes widened but he then narrowed his eyes at Hajime. _No, Akashi is dead… _Hajime told herself.

Hajime's vision was becoming clearer and she focused her attention on the people surrounding her. A long crimson haired man with a bandana covering forehead tattoos, a petite girl with shoulder length black hair and a strand of hair falling in between her eyes, and a teenage boy with a head full of a bright orange color. Hajime's eyes met Ichigo's and he remembered the sparkling silver eyes he saw earlier this morning.

"Ah! You're from this morning!" Ichigo noted as his memory was resurfacing. Hajime looked into Ichigo's eyes and tried to give a faint smile.

"Kurosaki Ichigo… It really was you…"

"You two know each other?" Rukia asked as she looked at Ichigo.

"She doesn't seem too surprised to see us… You tell her about us Ichigo?" Renji asked.

"Not at all, I barely know her but we'll talk about that later, her arm looks terrible, we have to go get Inoue." With those words, the school bell was heard that marked the end of the day. "Come on, we'll take you to Inoue, she'll heal it up for you." Ichigo suggested but Hajime was reluctant, upon hearing the bell her demeanor changed. She picked herself up and climbed out of Renji's arms making her way back to the school.

"Oi, where are you going with your arm injured like that?!" However, Hajime wasn't able to hear Renji yelling at her for she was already out of sight trying to run back to her class.

_I have to hurry, _Hajime thought to herself as she continued to run, _I can't afford to get an 'F' all because of a pass, mama's future depends on it._ As Hajime sprinted at full speed to her classroom, she made it just in time before her teacher left.

"Ah, Kisumoto-San, good, you're here. I would hate to have given you a failing grade when you're doing so well in this class. Now, my pass please?"

At the same time, Ichigo, Rukia, and Renji were talking about what just happened. "You think she got scared and that's why she ran?" Renji asked.

"No, that couldn't be it. She seemed pretty relaxed when she saw us I wonder what happened… She became weird after the school bell rang…" Ichigo explained, then he saw something hanging on to Renji's robe.

"Oi, Renji, what's that?" Ichigo reached for the shining object and read the message on it, "'Class 4-A. Yuuko-Sensei's English Class. If Found Please Return, Or Else.' This is bad, we gotta return this to that girl. I've heard that Yuuko-Sensei was really possessive of her things and gives out 'F's' like they're candy. This must have been the reason why she ran off so quick with her injured arm."

"I'll give it to her, I'm gonna give her a piece of my mind while I'm at it too." Renji explained as he grabbed the pass out of Ichigo's hand and used shunpo to get to the school. In the meantime, Rukia and Ichigo went to go find Inoue to ask for her help.

Back to Hajime, she looked through her bag and didn't see the pass anywhere. She looked through her bag's zippers, pockets, everywhere and she couldn't find it.

"Kisumoto-San, did you lose my pass?" Yuuko asked in a stern voice of disbelief since she warned Hajime not to lose it. Hajime froze, she can't afford to have any bad grades or else it'll ruin her almost perfect grade point average. She looked through her bag again and suddenly saw the pass drop into her bag. She quickly looked up and Renji was just centimeters away from her face, "looks like you dropped something" he said with a smile.

Hajime gave a small smile back at Renji and grabbed the pass for Yuuko. "Here it is Sensei, it seemed to have gotten buried under all my books. Thank you and have a nice day!"

When Hajime walked out of the classroom, trying to hide her burnt arm as hard as she could until she walked out of the door, she was staggering to the wall across from the door and leaned on the wall for support as she tried to get as far away from her classroom as possible. However, with the pain coursing through her body, she was only able to walk about two doors down and dropped her body to the ground in a squatting position. "You really are something else, you know that?" Renji said while giving Hajime a pitiful look. Hajime returned Renji's look with a gentle smile.

"Oi, Renji!" Rukia's voice was heard down the hall and she was with Ichigo and Inoue.

"Inoue, if you could please heal her arm." Ichigo asked.

"Of course. Do you mind?" She asked as she knelt beside Hajime and started to heal Hajime's arm with Soten Kisshun.

"So, you mind telling us your name?" Ichigo asked.

"Ah, My name is Hajime. Kisumoto Hajime."

"I'm Inoue, It's nice to meet you." Inoue greeted with a smile.

"Hajime, right?" Renji began, "How were you able to withstand all that pain earlier?" Hajime looked at Renji with a pitiful sort of look. "My mom, she has a tough job and she sometimes brings her work home with her, I've learned how to hide away the pain her work gives me sometimes."

Inoue gave a pitiful look to Hajime since she knew of the rumors that spread like wildfire throughout the school and everyone was silent.

"But um, if you don't mind, Kurosaki-San, there is something I would like to talk to you about." Hajime stated as she turned her attention over to Ichigo.

"Sure, what is it?"

"You… are a Shinigami right?" Ichigo and his friends were shocked that Hajime knew of the existence of Shinigami and the fact that she could see Renji and Rukia was also surprising to them.

"How do you know about Shinigami?"

"I met one about ten years ago and again five years ago, He only told me about the little information about Shinigami. I want to know about a place called Soul Society, would you be able to tell me?"

Inoue finished healing Hajime's arm and looked at Ichigo in anticipation of his answer.

"I'll tell you what I can but why don't we go and talk somewhere else? You know where Karakura Park is at right? Let's meet there and talk."

"I understand. I'll grab my books from my locker and head my way there. Thank you."

Ichigo, Renji and Rukia made their way to the park while waiting for Hajime. Inoue was unable to go since she had to work at her part time job.

As the three of them sat on the bench waiting for Hajime's arrival, Renji was in deep thought about what happened earlier.

_Akashi… When she called me by that name, why did something within me react to it?_


	3. Friendship

**[[ Hello everyone! **

**Sorry it took me so long to post up another chapter!**

**Also, I apologize cause this chapter's kinda boring D:**

**It's more so a chapter about their developing friendship and how they became close friends.**

**That's basically it but the ending adds excitement for the next chapter!**

**(if you wanna skip to the ending lol.)**

**Enjoy! Lemme know what you think!**

**Thank you for reading! ]]**

* * *

After the meeting place was set, Hajime grabbed her things and made her way to Karakura Community Park where Ichigo, Renji, and Rukia were already waiting for her appearance.

"Thanks for meeting us here." Ichigo began as he greeted Hajime.

"Of course, thank you for healing my arm earlier." Hajime said with a smile.

"So, you wanted to know about Soul Society didn't you, could I ask why?"

"My friend died about ten years ago and since Shinigami take care of souls, I wanted to know if you knew him?"

"Ah, well you see, it's a bit more complicated then that." Ichigo explained to Hajime about how Soul Society is where the Shinigami live and how he is only a substitute Shinigami. He also explained to Hajime about Rukongai and how it was separated into four directions: North, East, South, and West, as well as how within those directions were 8O districts each. Within those 8O districts are souls that dwell in those areas until they are reincarnated into the Human World. The chances of finding, let alone seeing, Akashi is slim.

"So if I die, my soul will be sent to Soul Society and I will live as if I was still alive?"

"For the most part. Living in Soul Society is pretty much like living in the Human World except, people don't get hungry unless they possess spiritual energy." Ichigo explained

"And with that spiritual energy, that is how I am able to see the two of you?" Hajime asked as she turned her attention to Renji and Rukia.

"That's correct. You possess a pretty impressive amount of spiritual energy, I guess it's no surprise you can see us." Rukia stated.

"Ne, do Shinigami know when a person's supposed to die?" Hajime asked suddenly out of the blue.

"Hmm. There are certain groups of Shinigami who are in charge of that area. They're called Schedulers. The Schedulers know of everyone's time of death for a certain time frame and are sent to purify that person's soul when scheduled. Why?"

"Nori… I was involved in a hit and run about five years ago and Nori told me that it wasn't my time to die yet and so he healed me and I survived. He also told me that he was my guardian angel, he knew my name and everything and I've only met him twice."

"Schedulers have that kind of knowledge," Renji explained, "They have more knowledge about the Human World than we do but that's what makes their jobs harder. Knowing when a person's going to die and how, their job is to guide the lost soul and they can't do anything to prevent a person's death. Some schedulers will take a liking to certain individuals and watch over them, guess the same goes for this Nori guy."

"I see." Hajime said as she was taking all the information in.

"Have we managed to answer all your questions?" Ichigo asked.

"Actually, I have one more question if you don't mind. When a soul is brought to Soul Society, does that soul continue to have the same memories it did when it was alive in the Human World? For example, will they remember their name and what kind of life they lived?" As Hajime asked her final question, she looked to Renji for her answer.

"It depends on multiple factors." Rukia answered in place of Renji, "If your soul was brought as a child, your memory of the world wouldn't be as strong but as souls enter when they're older, they will possess memories of their old life until they are reincarnated. Some souls even have the option of erasing their memory and are only allowed to remember their name. Though, that option is usually granted to those who have lived a tough life in the Human World. Some are also given the opportunity to rewrite their history as well. If a soul has lived an unfortunate life in the Human World, they are granted the option to live as a different person under a different name with hardly any memories."

"Is there any way to regain those lost memories?"

"The only way to do that is to talk to the Shinigami that passed the soul over to the afterlife."

_If that were the case then Nori would be the one Akashi has to search for. If he gave up his memories, that is._

Then, as if right on cue, Hajime's phone started to ring. As she looked at who was calling her it was revealed to be her mom. "Ah, excuse me for a second, it's my mom, It's getting late, she must be worried." Hajime answered her phone and walked away from the group as to not disturb them in any way.

"You sure it was okay to tell her about all this, Rukia?" Ichigo asked.

"It's fine. She doesn't seem like someone with ill intentions and it only seems as if she wanted information on her friend that passed away. Her reiatsu is pretty strong though, when it is her time, she would probably make a strong Shinigami, we might have to report her to the Captain-Commander."

"Wait, what do you mean?"

"The Captain-Commander is trying to fill the empty captain seats and more Shinigami are needed. The Academy is accepting applications in about two years and the Captain-Commander has called upon the Schedulers to report to him the souls with strong reiatsu. Hajime may not be dead yet but she's a good candidate for a position in the Gotei 13. Her 'Guardian Angel', Nori is probably already aware of this and probably already reported it to the Captain-Commander."

"Ah, I'm sorry everyone, I'll have to get going now. My mom's heading to work soon and I have to watch over the house. Thank you very much for everything today." After finishing her talk with her mother, Hajime greeted farewell to the group of three and everyone went their separate ways.

. . .

When Hajime finally made her way home, she saw her mother, Aiko, cooking in the kitchen. The smell of spices filled the air and Hajime was surprised to see her mother cooking before heading off to work.

"Ah, Hajime, you're home. Come set the table, I'll eat dinner with you before I go." Aiko said as she greeted her daughter with a smile.

When everything was settled, they sat around the dinner table and had their dinner for the night.

"So, how was school today?"

"You know, the usual. Ah, apparently mom, I'm pregnant, congratulations! You're going to be a grandmother." Hajime explained in a sarcastic tone.

"Is it that Dia girl again?"

"I don't understand how she comes up with such rumors and they spread like wildfire!"

"Well you only have a few months left, you can do it honey. Oh my, it's almost 7? I have to get going or else I'll only get half of today's pay. Look after the house okay?"

"I know the drill. Mama, please be careful today."

Aiko gave a gentle smile to Hajime and kissed her softly on the head, "I know. Don't worry my love, I'll try not to be too 'dumb' today. I'm sorry to have to put you through this. Good night." Aiko then grabbed her clothes and left for the night.

After Aiko had left to work, Hajime finished cleaning up the table and started her lockdown routine. She locked all the doors, all the windows and made sure that everything was covered shut. All the lights had to be turned off, as well as the heat and the only source of light and warmth that Hajime had would be one candle that was placed in her room.

After everything that happened today, Hajime lay in her bed and thought back to when she was caught in Renji's arm and saw a glimpse of Akashi. She gave a big sigh and closed her eyes as an image of Akashi appeared in her mind.

_Could he really be Akashi? He doesn't seem to have any memories of me and it may not be him but there's just something about him… I have to find Nori, he's the only one that will be able to tell me. _

* * *

The next day at school, Hajime was seen being bullied again by Dia and during this time, Ichigo arrived and saw the ruckus that Dia was making and thought he should help Hajime out.

"Oi, don't you think picking on Hajime here is kind of low? You don't know anything about her, so why pick on her? Are you looking to pick a fight? Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" Ichigo retaliated to Dia who was in shock that someone was actually standing up to her.

"And who the hell are you?" Dia asked with a dirty look matching her horrid attitude as she glared at Ichigo.

"Dia, that's Kurosaki Ichigo. That delinquent that doesn't hesitate to fight anyone, even if it's a girl." Dia's "friend" Krystal explained as she examined Ichigo from head to toe and cowered in fear. Dia knew Ichigo's reputation well and she also decided to back away for now.

"You'll regret being her bodyguard, Strawberry." Dia remarked as she walked away and made her way to class.

"Are you alright?" Ichigo asked as he examined Hajime's face to see if she was crying again.

"You shouldn't have gotten involved, Kurosaki-San. They could start messing with you and your friends too." Hajime explained, as she grew worried that the bullying could spread even farther.

"It's okay, it's no big deal. After all, what are friends for?" Ichigo explained with a carefree smile on his face.

"Friends?" Hajime asked in a tone of surprise.

"Yeah, friends. You could use some can't you?"

Hajime was shocked at what Ichigo said, no one has ever bothered to befriend her before, let alone even talk to her without bullying her.

"Why don't you eat lunch with my friends and I later? It's better than eating alone don't you think?"

"Is that okay?" Hajime asked as if she was being selfish.

"Of course!"

The day went on and it was finally time for lunch. As invited, Hajime went to find Ichigo and his friends to have lunch with them but before she could even leave her classroom, Dia stopped her in her tracks.

"So, you're letting that Kurosaki kid protect you now? That's pretty low don't you think? Letting people fall down with you."

"What are you talking about?"

"You think we're going to let him off for protecting a piece of trash like you?"

"Your issue, whatever it may be, is with me. Don't you think it's low of _you _to involve people that are innocent?"

"Are you trying to talk back to me right now?" Dia questioned as she stepped closer to Hajime.

"You… You think bullying makes you cool? Whatever your aim is, I'm positive you already succeeded. Your goal is to make me miserable right? Don't you think we're already past that? Ever since I came to this town, I've been your target for years, don't you think that's enough?"

Dia looked into Hajime's sparkling eyes and gave an irritated look in response, "I don't know what's with your sudden act of courage but," Dia pulled Hajime's hair and forced her face closer to hers, "this is only the beginning." Dia warned as she threw Hajime's head back and left the room.

"Wow, she's really something else, huh?" A voice was suddenly heard behind Hajime and she jumped in surprise. As she turned around to look at the source of the voice, she saw Nori.

"Yo, Hajime."

"Nori. There's something I must ask you."

"Ask me another time, I'm only here to give you a bit of advice."

"Advice?"

"As you know, I've been watching over you ever since you were little. Ever since your father was arrested and you relocated to Karakura Town, you've been getting bullied nonstop, especially from that Dia. You've hardly had any friends and all you do is go home and do homework. Kurosaki Ichigo and his friends, you would be wise to befriend them."

"Why? If I do that, Dia will bother them and I don't want to do that to them."

"Hajime, instead of worrying about others, you should worry about yourself. I'm not one to interfere too much with human lives but trust me, befriend them."

Before Hajime could continue the conversation any further, Nori used shunpo and disappeared from sight.

After taking Nori's words into consideration, Hajime did as suggested. She decided to befriend Ichigo and his friends and in turn, she would do everything in her power to prevent Dia from bullying them.

* * *

Three months have passed since Hajime's and Ichigo's paths have entwined and the five of them (Hajime, Ichigo, Inoue, Chad, and Ishida) have grown closer in their friendship. There were even periods of time when Renji and Rukia would visit and they have grown fond of Hajime as well.

With the formation of her new friendship, Hajime has finally felt true happiness. It's been over ten years since she lost Akashi and it's been a challenge for her to make friends.

As for Hajime's bullying, it hasn't stopped but Dia knew the consequences of messing with Ichigo and his friends. Since Ichigo and Inoue are more of the popular students of the third years, their classmates don't take Dia's actions likely and in response to her bullying, they act more hostile towards her and gives her a taste of her own medicine. However, whenever Dia had the chance to bully Hajime when no one was around, Hajime found a new boost of confidence and was even able to defend herself a few times. Hearing about Ichigo's adventures and battles with his friends, Hajime realized that she shouldn't end things without putting up a fight, after all, she was graduating in two weeks. -

"You excited to finally get out of here, Kazuto?" In Karakura Jail, in cell number 78315, a familiar muscular man lays on the top bunk of the bunk bed.

"How much longer do I have, Jun?"

The man named Jun possessed long purple hair and piercing amber eyes. He got up from his bunk bed and approached a small calendar that hung on the wall in their cell. Taking the red marker on the desk, he crossed off today's date: May 2nd and responded, "Two more weeks and you're out of here."

Hearing the news of finally escaping his prison cell in two weeks caused a smile to form on Kazuto's face.

_Two weeks, huh? After ten long years, you're finally gonna receive your punishment, Hajime._


	4. Truths

**[[ Hello everyone! It's been a while, I apologize for that!**

**Here's an update, do leave review and let me know your thoughts.**

**This chapter is pretty long so I wanna apologize again.**

**Another chapter will be in the works, thanks for staying with me and reading this story. ]]**

* * *

In Soul Society, a familiar teal haired scheduler was seen in the Captain-Commander's room.

"Nori." The Captain-Commander greeted, "What news do you have today?"

Nori bowed before the Captain-Commander and greeted him, "Captain-Commander, I'm here today to tell you that number 4 on the list is going to arrive in Rukongai by tomorrow night. Upon agreement, I am to release the boy's memories."

"And you are sure she won't come willingly?"

"I've been watching over her for most of her life, once she sees the life of those in the Rukongai, she will be reluctant to leave and will want to stay to help the people there. The only way to convince her to leave is to use the boy."

"Drastic times call for drastic measures. Chojiro, please fetch Abarai Fukutaichou here immediately." Yamamoto ordered his white haired Vice Captain.

After a few minutes, Chojiro returned with Renji by his side. Upon entering the room, Renji was surprised to see a scheduler in the room alongside the Captain-Commander.

"Abarai Fukutaichou, I'd like you to meet Nori, a scheduler as you could already tell. We have news to share with you today."

"Eh? No offense but what does a scheduler have anything to do with me?"

"You've felt it haven't you?" Nori asked as he walked toward Renji, "You feel something react within your body as you get closer to Kisumoto Hajime."

"How do you know Hajime? Are you the scheduler that showed interest in her?"

"Yes, and I'm the same scheduler that brought you into Soul Society."

"Nani?" Renji asked with a face of bewilderment.

"My job today is to release your sealed memories."

"My… sealed memories? Are you telling me that when I came here, I chose to forget it all? If it's like that, I don't want them back. I forgot them because my life was probably horrible, who are you to release them as you please?"

"Please stay calm Abarai Fukutaichou." The Captain-Commander assured him.

"When you crossed into this world," Nori continued, "You told me directly yourself that you wanted to seal your memories until Hajime also crossed into this world. The time to release your memories have finally come."

"Are you telling me that Hajime is going to die? If you know that, shouldn't you protect her?"

"The first rule of a scheduler-"

"Yeah, I know. Can't interfere with a human's life but haven't you already broken that rule?" Renji questioned with a scoff as he gave a look of disbelief towards Nori.

"It wasn't her time then but there is nothing I nor you can do about her impending death."

"And why are you telling me all this?"

"As you know, I have been asking the Taichou's and Fukutaichou's, as well as the schedulers, to compile a list of potential Academy enrollees. Number four on the list compiled by the Schedulers is Kisumoto Hajime." Yamamoto explained. "With Miss Hajime's pending arrival to Rukongai, I have a mission to hand to you."

"Mission?"

"You are to guide and persuade Hajime to join the Shinigami Academy. If she's as impressive as Nori explains, she will make a perfect seated officer in the Gotei 13."

"And how am I supposed to do that?" Renji then looked at Nori, "You know her as well as I do, you know once she sees how run down the Rukongai is she won't leave. How am I supposed to convince her to come with me? She'll decline every offer and she won't leave unless there's a good reason for her to."

Yamamoto and Nori exchanged a glance at each other and Nori lowered his gaze as he turned his attention back to Renji, "Then make that reason you, Abarai Fukutaichou." Yamamoto declared.

"What does that mean, Captain-Commander?" Renji asked with a confused expression.

"It means, make her fall in love with you. If you must, manipulate her feelings and have her become a Shinigami for the sake of being with you. That is your mission Abarai Fukutaichou. No matter the actions, the ultimate goal is to have Hajime join the Academy that will be enrolling students in three years. When she crosses to our world, you are to find her immediately and start training her, the Captain seats must be filled immediately and with Shinigami gaining promotions, we need higher level skilled Shinigami in our Gotei 13. Do you understand what your mission is Abarai Fukutaichou?" With the suddenness of it all, Renji had no idea what to say to the Captain-Commander about this. What could he say anyway? The Captain-Commander's orders are absolute and that definitely was an order.

"I'm going to release your memories now." Nori explained as he walked toward Renji who already had so much on his plate. Positioning himself in front of Renji and opening up his hand in front of Reni's forehead, Nori yelled out the command, "Kaihou"

With the memories of his previous life flowing into his mind, Renji remained where he was with a wide-eyed expression on his face. When the release finally finished, Renji stood from his position and looked Nori in the eyes, "It's finally time, huh Nori? I can see her again?"  
"As you requested, you will be able to regain your memories for two days max, whatever you do in those two days will remain with the man named Renji. You are not allowed to tell Hajime that you are indeed Akashi, if you do, you will no longer be referred to as Abarai Renji and once that happens, everything you did under that name, will erase itself from your life and memories."

"I understand. I'll do my best not to stand out. Just being able to see Hajime again with my own eyes, I can't believe it's actually happening."

"You must understand that her course of death is not a pleasant one, I suggest you make your appearance when necessary."

"Even though I have my memories back, I don't think I'll have the guts to face her like this so I understand, only until the last second, I'll make my appearance."

"Now that everything is all set, you both are free to go. Do not fail me Abarai Fukutaichou." Yamamoto exclaimed.

"Hai!"

* * *

At Karakura High, the senior class was rehearsing for their graduation ceremony that will be occurring tomorrow. With the excitement that is buzzing around the school of the upcoming graduation, everyone is in good spirits.

Hajime, Ichigo, and his friends have been spending more time together these past two weeks since Hajime will be attending Tokyo University after graduating at the top of her class.

With today being Hajime's last day of class, Ichigo and Orihime invited Hajime to have lunch on the roof with them. Unfortunately, Chad and Ishida had school business to attend to and couldn't make it to lunch.

"You're finally graduating Hajime, you excited to leave?" Ichigo asked.

"You have no idea. I'm really thankful for meeting you guys in my final months here. It really has made my school experience better and you guys even made Dia stop with the bullying since last week. I'm going to miss you guys. I hope you guys do well in your last year here."

"We'll definitely do our best!" Inoue exclaimed in excitement, "Hajime-San, I wish you the best in college."

"Thank you, Orihime. I hope this new experience will be a pleasant one." Hajime looked to the sky and there was not a cloud in the sky; today was a beautiful day.

* * *

In the red light district, many of the women were picking up overtime since the weather was getting warmer. One of those overtime workers was Aiko and she has been exhausted out of late but she was able to make almost double her usual pocket money.

Upon returning to her own personal room and changing into her casual clothes, she observed her body in the mirror and saw all the bruises and scratch marks that were displayed on her skin. Looking at her wounds, she immediately applied ointment to prevent scarring and proceeded to get dressed.

"Aiko-San?" A voice was heard at the door followed by a knock.

"Ah, come in."

The women that entered the room was Shizu, she was a newly appointed worker in the red light district and was placed under Aiko's supervision.

"Shizu, what is it? You have questions about today's schedule?" Aiko asked as she was putting on her jewelry.

"No, it's not that, you have a visitor. Shall I send him in?"

"Please." Aiko said as she then proceeded to put her makeup on.

Shizu bowed to Aiko and left the room allowing Aiko and her guest to talk in private.

"Must you put all that makeup on, your natural beauty is diminishing." The man's voice was rough yet gentle and upon hearing his voice, Aiko froze and slowly turned to face the man.

"Loki… What… are you doing here? How… did you find me?" Terror struck Aiko and a sense of urgency to leave the room filled her mind.

"You think I wouldn't be able to find you? We've been friends for years, I know everything about you."

"Friend? If you're my friend, why are you on Kazuto's side?"

"Aiko… Before he turned all crazy, we were best friends. He knows my strengths and my weaknesses; he knows that targeting my family will make me do his every whim. I'm sorry Aiko but I came here to warn you. Your time is up, as well as Hajime's and he knows where you both are. There's no escaping, you're going to receive your punishment as I will receive mine. Enjoy your last few moments you have left." Finishing his threat, Loki left the room and left Aiko in a panic.

_It's been ten years already? Oh no, I have to protect Hajime; we have to leave quickly._

In a rush, Aiko gathered her things and left her dressing room to make her way home.

Finally making her way home, Aiko ran inside in a panic. What is she to do? Hajime's graduating tomorrow and if they run away now, Hajime won't be able to attend Tokyo University and the last thing Aiko wants is to strip away Hajime's education. Then Aiko thought maybe it would be best to trick Kazuto into thinking that the two of them have run out of town.

Aiko grabbed two suitcases from the attic and immediately went to fill them with both hers and Hajime's most valuable items. With the suitcases packed, Aiko was about to call Hajime with an excuse when she heard the click of the lock to the front door.

Hajime was home from school and Aiko ran over to her with a worried expression.

"Mama… What's wrong? You look like you saw a ghost."

"Ah, Hajime-Chan, you're home already? I-I just came home to pack some clothes. Actually, my boss requested that I work through the weekend starting tonight. I told him that you're graduating tomorrow so I'll definitely be there for that but I have to work the weekend shift again sweetie."

"But, you packed two suitcases." Hajime said as she looked at both full suitcases on the ground with a questioning look.

"Ah, one's for you! It's not really safe here in the neighborhood at night and you know how I worry about you. Also, it's almost time for his release, it's best to keep our guard up and be home as less as possible. I know it's sudden but since you've gotten really close with your friends, I thought maybe it'd be best if you stay with a friend for the weekend. You know, you're graduating tomorrow; it'll do you some good to spend time with your friend Orihime before you leave for University."

"That's right… Papa is getting out soon, I hope by that time I'm already in Tokyo. I'll give Orihime a call and ask if it's alright with her." Hajime made her way to the kitchen to call Orihime and Aiko let out a sigh of relief for being able to lie to Hajime successfully.

_I'm sorry my daughter, _Aiko thought to herself as she looked upon a picture frame of her and Hajime together, _The only way to protect you is to lie to you. Please stay strong my darling._

Later that night, Aiko took her suitcase and made her way to her friend's home.

Hajime, on the other hand, was able to stay at Orihime's for the night. Hajime hasn't disclosed about her father to Orihime but Orihime already knew from the rumors that were spreading around the school. It seems that Hajime hasn't heard about the rumors of her father that have been spreading around.

"Thank you for allowing me to stay over last minute, Orihime. I promise I won't be a burden."

"It's okay Hajime, don't worry about it. Besides, this just means I get to spend some time with you before you leave for college. Have you finished your speech yet?"

"Not quite. I think I might have to stay up a bit and finish."

"Well, if you need anything let me know." Orihime offered with a smile.

"Thank you."

* * *

"Kisumoto Aiko, you have a person requesting you for the night. He says he'll pay triple the usual amount for you so you better do a damn good job." A large muscular man wearing sunglasses and a flashy red and white tuxedo ordered. "He's in room 3C, it's soundproof so make sure you satisfy him, understood?"

"Yes sir." Aiko replied with an expressionless face.

As Aiko approached room 3C, a familiar face greeted her.

"Loki… I thought you were a warning, what are you doing here? Where's Kazuto?" Aiko questioned him as she tried to slowly walk out of the room but Loki's intimidating presence made it hard for Aiko to leave.

"Did you enjoy your last few moments with your daughter?" Loki stared into Aiko's silver eyes and walked closer to her. Reaching toward his back pocket, he pulled out a gun and Aiko instantly knew that this was the end. "In the end, I only lied to her… Loki… We were friends… Must you do such a thing? You really cared for Hajime, how could you leave her like this? Without a mother…?"

"I'm sorry, Aiko but I have no choice. Kazuto wants to end the game and I have to end it now. However, I will grant you one last conversation with your daughter but if you warn her or anything, you will get a bullet to your head and she will as well. Understood?" Loki motioned his cell phone to Aiko who took a deep breath and dialed Hajime's number. The cell phone, however, had to be placed on speakerphone.

Hajime, who was still up trying to finish her speech for tomorrow, answered the phone and thought it was weird for her mom to call her since she's working at this time.

"Mama? What is it, is everything okay? Did something happen?"

"No, I just wanted to check up on you. Why are you still up?"

"I'm still struggling with this speech, I don't really want to write it." Hajime explained as she gave a small laugh.

"It'll come out perfect, just write out your true feelings. Whether they are negative or positive, I'm sure someone will relate."

"Ah, I suppose. Thanks mom. Since you're able to call me, are you on break? You should try to squeeze some sleep in, you'll be exhausted if you pull another all-nighter without even a slight nap." Hearing Hajime's caring and gentle tone caused Aiko's demeanor to break.

"Ne, I was talking to my friend today and she told me something that I wanted to share with you… There are a lot of people there that will want to hurt you Hajime-Chan, like that old bully of yours. Do you know what automatically makes you better then them?"

"What, Mama?"

"You stay strong. I'm so proud of my little girl and how you've grown into a woman with a kind heart. However, even with a kind heart, you're a strong fighter. Fight for what's right my dear and you will achieve what you desire most. Remember my love, even if your heart wavers, know that you'll always have Mama by your side, okay? Good luck on that speech honey, I know it'll be great."

"Thanks Mama. Be careful at work, I'll see you tomorrow at the graduation ceremony!"

"I'll be careful, thanks sweetie." Aiko then hung up the phone and she tried her best to put a strong face in front of Loki.

"That was all, no 'I love you'? You do realize that that will be the last conversation your daughter will have with you."

"'I love you' was not needed, she is my daughter. She already knows I love her. If you dare touch a hair on my daughter, I will definitely come back to haunt you and kill you myself Loki."

"That won't be necessary." Loki said with a smile as he raised the gun to Aiko's head.

Two gunshots were fired and the lifeless bodies fell to the ground with a thud.

. . .

The next morning, Hajime woke up early to get ready to head to her graduation ceremony but before she left Orihime's she received a phone call from the Police Department.

"Hello, is this Miss Kisumoto Hajime?" A woman's voice asked.

"Yes, this is she."

"Miss Kisumoto, I'm terribly sorry to inform you about this over the phone but your mother, Kisumoto Aiko was killed in a shooting last night in the Red Light District."

"W-what?" Hearing the news, Hajime dropped the phone and she was unable to comprehend anything that was happening around her. Her body went numb and she stayed frozen in place.

There was an hour left until the graduation started and Orihime was getting ready to leave when she saw Hajime kneeling on the floor with her phone dropped beside her.

"Hajime? Aren't you supposed to be at the school, you'll be late if you don't leave soon."

Hajime stood from her position and spoke without facing Orihime, "I'm not going. Sorry Orihime but do you mind going to the school and letting the principal know that I won't be attending the ceremony?"

Orihime was caught by surprise by Hajime's sudden declaration, "What do you mean you aren't going? You stayed up late last night to finish your speech and you even got dressed, what happened?"

"I changed my mind, please notify them for me." Hajime then proceeded to the room Orihime lent her and left Orihime with a bewildered expression.

Orihime made her way to the school and bumped into Ichigo and the others in front of the school.

"Yo, Inoue, where's Hajime?" Ichigo asked.

"She suddenly changed her mind and decided she didn't want to attend the ceremony today."

"Eh? Do you know why?"

"I have no idea, I think something happened but I'm not sure what."

Then they saw Dia walking past them and heard the latest gossip that she had to spread today, "Did you guys hear? She's dead, someone shot her last night and the shooter killed himself too. I wonder if they told Hajime yet. I feel kind of bad, I would hate to lose my mother like that, I should probably apologize to Hajime later if I see her."

Hearing the news, Orihime finally understood what happened.

"That's terrible… We should do something." Orihime commented.

"I think the best thing we can do right now is to let her be alone for a little. Since there's no reason for us to be here, let's go try and cheer up Hajime, shall we make her something to eat tonight? A home cooked meal is always good in situations like this."

"Curry is Hajime's favorite, I'll make some for tonight. You guys are welcome to come over."

"Thanks, we'll be over around 7 then."

The group decided to leave school grounds after informing the principal that Hajime would not be attending today and went to the grocery store. They bought all the ingredients needed to make curry and went their separate ways for now.

By the time Orihime got home, it was around five o'clock. Orihime thought if Hajime helped her cook dinner, it'll help her feel less depressed and she didn't want to see Hajime look so sad. They cooked curry for dinner and managed to finish around seven.

During this time, Ichigo and the others were making their way to Orihime's when a hollow's presence was felt near Orihime's house.

"That presence… Hollow? It's quite close." Hajime said as she looked out the window.

"I'm going to go take a look, Kurosaki-Kun is probably already hunting it down. I'll be back, okay?"

"Take your time." Hajime said as Orihime went to assist in the purification of the Hollow.

About 20 minutes later, there was a knock heard at the door. Hajime thought it was Orihime that was at the door so she didn't hesitate to open it but the person that greeted her was Kazuto. He had on a menacing smile and a gun was hidden in the back of his pants.

Seeing the face that haunted her for years caused fear to take over. This man ruined her life and took away her mother's life. She hated him down to the very core of her being.

"Hajime-Chan, you know who I am, right?" The man questioned as he slowly walked toward Hajime.

Hajime tried to back up the closer he got but she ended up hitting against the wall with no where else to go. "You're my father, no, my mother's _murderer_… What do you want?"

"My my, how can you say such a thing. I wasn't the one that killed her it was Loki. Even the cops figured that one out. You think I forgot what happened 10 years ago? I'm here to exact your punishment. Remember Hajime, we're a family and family always listens to the one in charge."

"I had a family and you killed her!"

"Now, now, calm down. If you wanna blame me for killing someone, I'll definitely kill that sweet girl that left not too long ago if you want me to."

"You stay away from her!"

"Then come." Kazuto demanded as he stretched out his hand.

Hajime had no other choice but to protect her friends and so she willingly went with Kazuto. They walked back to Hajime's house and made their way to the roof. "Why are we here?" Hajime asked.

"I told you, I'm here to punish you and what better place to do that then the place you and your mother decided to run off to." Kazuto took out his gun and aimed it at Hajime. Hajime completely froze.

"So your plan is to kill me? That's how you're going to end this game?"

"My plan is to kill you and then myself. Your mother, you and I will be reunited as a family again. That is the plan."

"You've got to be kidding me. There's no way you would join mother and I. Have fun rotting in Hell."

"Prepare yourself, my sweet Hajime. We'll all be in Hell together." Kazuto cocked the gun and two gunshots echoed throughout the air.

. . .

When Orihime left to assist with the purifying of the Hollow, there were groups of low-level hollow that were not much of a fight. However, Orihime's assistance was not needed since Rukia and Renji were in the area at the time. When they all finished purifying the hollow, they saw Orihime and surrounded near her.

"Hey Orihime. You didn't need to come out it was no big deal." Rukia greeted.

"I didn't know you two were here." Orihime said.

"They were in the area and I invited them to come eat but we got caught up with these hollow. Sorry Inoue." Ichigo explained.

"It's fine, we should probably head back, we gotta keep an eye out for Hajime." Orihime explained.

Everyone made their way to Orihime's apartment and noticed that the door was left wide open.

"You leave your door open when you leave Inoue?" Ichigo asked.

"No, I'm pretty sure I closed it when I left." The group of six walked closer toward the door and noticed that the living room was empty; there was no sight of Hajime anywhere.

Before anyone was able to search around for Hajime a drop in a certain someone's spiritual pressure caused them to all stop in their tracks. They all shared concerned glances at each other before they made their way toward the source of the spiritual energy. Ichigo, Rukia, and Renji shunpo-ed to their destination as Ishida, Chad, and Orihime ran as quickly as they could following the trail.

Renji was the first to arrive at the scene, his heart completely shattered, even if he knew she was going to die today, he didn't want to see her suffering like this. The others arrived shortly thereafter and everyone was in shock at the saddening scene in front of them. The bodies lay on top of the roof with pools of blood surrounding them. Hajime's white hair was stained red and her body was slowly losing its warmth.

"Orihime, are you able to heal her?" Ichigo asked in a low voice.

"It may be too late." Orihime said with an expression of guilt.

Renji slowly walked over to Hajime and gently lifted her into his arms. With every bit of energy she had left, Hajime opened her eyes and as she looked into Renji's eyes, she saw an image of Akashi in his place. Slowly, She motioned her hand to Renji's cheek and gave a small smile, "Akashi…"

Hearing his name coming from her gentle voice, tears were welling up in his eyes. "Hajime-Hime, I'll find you." He whispered as he held her close.

Hajime hasn't heard that nickname in years and the only person that called her that was supposed to be dead. Finally receiving the truth, she gave a genuine smile and mouthed the words thank you as her hand fell to the ground and her spiritual pressure disappeared.

"I'll find her, if that's the last thing I'll do." Renji explained as he performed Konso on Hajime. As Hajime's soul was sent to Soul Society, the only light that shone that night was the sparkling moon that echoed Hajime's silver eyes.


	5. Soul Society

**[[ How long has it been you guys?!**

**Too long to some I suppose lol.**

**I'm baaaaaack! And I've finally regained the motivation I needed to whip up this chapter.**

**Sadly, it's a slow chapter. Not much oomph. Sorry about that!**

**I'll whip up another chapter tonight as well. See you later! ]]**

* * *

Two years have passed since Hajime's death and many things have occurred during this time. Ichigo and his friends have graduated from Karakura High and are currently looking into colleges to attend.

Rukia and Renji have been searching the various districts of the Rukongai ever since Hajime disappeared and yet there has been no sign of her.

However, Renji, who remembers his words and actions from when he was Akashi, continues to bear hope. He will find the girl he once loved and offer her a better life. Even though his feelings have changed toward Hajime, he still cares for her, especially knowing what she meant to him in his past life.

"Abarai Fukutaichou, have you gotten any closer in finding Kisumoto Hajime?" The Captain-Commander questioned, as he grew desperate to fill the captain positions that were left vacant in his squad.

"Not yet sir. With all the work that's piling up in the Sixth Division Barracks and how large each district of the Rukongai is, this is taking longer than I thought."

"We also don't know whether or not she chose to keep her memories. She was granted the option but even I don't know which option she chose." A sudden voice was heard entering the chambers; it was Nori, the teal haired scheduler.

"Nori, you were watching over her, can't you sense her reiatsu anywhere?"

"It's not that simple. As you already know, the Rukongai is a huge space, there's no way to pinpoint her exact location."

"Where have you looked already, Abarai Fukutaichou?"

"Rukia and I finished exploring the North end of the Rukongai and we just started exploring the beginning districts of the Western region. There are still no clues to her whereabouts."

"I see. Well, maybe it'll be wise to take a break and join Kuchiki Taichou on his mission today. I understand you have begun your search in West Rukongai but I have given a mission to Kuchiki Taichou in East Rukongai. Maybe you should take advantage of the timing and scope out the area. Being alongside your Captain might be of some help as well."

"That may be a good idea. I'll go do that then Captain-Commander." Renji bowed to Yamamoto and made his way to Kuchiki Manor.

Heading to Byakuya's room, he noticed that the door was left slightly open. When Renji knocked on the door, a woman's voice told him to enter the room. Following the invitation inside, a fair skinned lady with purple hair and brown eyes greeted Renji at the door while Byakuya was sitting on the floor finishing up his paperwork.

"Ah, Akane-Sama. I didn't know you'd be here today." Renji said as he bowed at the woman.

"I'm trying not to see the elders today," Akane explained as she was putting on her makeup.

"Is there something you need Renji? I was going to head out soon. I have a task to complete." Byakuya asked as he put his paperwork aside and gathered his belongings.

"Ah, well you remember how I told you that I was looking for someone in Rukongai? The Captain-Commander told me that he gave you a mission in East Rukongai and that I should go with you. If that's okay with you that is."

"Ah, that's right. The girl you befriended in Karakura Town. I'll help you as much as you can but of course, my mission comes first."

"That's fine, thanks Taichou!"

"You mind if I come too?" Akane chimed in. Byakuya and Renji looked at Akane with surprised looks, the two of them were heading to the Rukongai and Akane has frequently expressed her distaste with the area. "I need to get away from the manor and the elders have been urging me to do some charity work, you'll put in a good word if I go with you won't you, Byakuya-Sama?" Akane said as she grasped onto Byakuya's arm and patted her eyes.

"Just be careful. The Rukongai can get dangerous."

"Don't worry. I can handle my own."

Byakuya was placed in charge of upholding the law in the lower (6O-8O) districts of South Rukongai. Since many people despise Shinigami in the high 7Os – 8O, Byakuya and his squad were told to be wary of those areas and if the people appear to be too threatening, the mission would come to a halt. With his loyalty to upholding the law, Byakuya was willing to accept this job without a moment's hesitation. He decided to go to the 6Oth district in South Rukongai and work his way down and explore the area and how each district gradually grows to worsen. Byakuya brought along Renji, his third and fourth seats, and his wife Akane.

Akane is the only daughter of the Toujiro Family and both her family as well as the Kuchiki family planned an arranged marriage in order to unite the two powers and create a sense of stability. The Kuchiki Clan Elders also thought it was best to marry into a new family for the people's sake and with his word to his family, Byakuya agreed to the marriage. The two of them have been married for six years already but just because they are married, does not mean love exists between the two. Akane is completely spoiled by her family and expects the same from Byakuya. She wishes for Byakuya to pay attention to her and only her and if she wants something, she must get it. As much as this goes against Byakuya's ideas of 'love', he has to bear with it for the sake of his family. Akane also only sees Byakuya as a stepping stool to power. She does not care about the Kuchiki Family at all and that is evident when she continues to bother Byakuya as he does his work as Nobleman of the house.

However, Akane will change into a person of respect if her father, or the elders are present. In order to stay a wife to Byakuya, she has to show that she is worthy to hold such a title and so when she is being observed by those of great power, she plays the persona of "Toujiro Akane" but once she is no longer being observed, she is back to who she truly is and the servants of Kuchiki Manor can't stand her. Holding the title of Kuchiki makes Akane think that she can do whatever she pleases without consequence and so she talks down to others frequently, soiling the Kuchiki name. Unfortunately, the Toujiro Family is one of the four noble families and the Kuchiki Clan must put up with Akane or else their Clan will become unstable and suffer from negative criticism.

As the five headed to the 70th district of Rukongai, Byakuya ordered for his third and fourth seats to map out seriously run down buildings and buildings that are no longer in use. Renji was ordered to check if the people of the district are healthy and if there have been any disturbances recently. Byakuya and Akane's focus was the children and if any changes could be made to make the children's experience a less tragic one. Even though Akane volunteered herself to come to the Rukongai, she couldn't stand being near people who didn't have "proper clothing" or even look decent enough to appear in front of her. Everyone ignored her whines and continued on with their jobs.

Byakuya's third and fourth seats noted down that there was hardly any medical buildings and that there were broken buildings that could be turned into resting space for the civilians since so many of them sleep on the streets. Renji noted that most of the people are malnourished and are not getting the proper nutrients to survive and thus making them prone to illnesses. Since many people are sick and weak, theft has become a major crime. This was evident as Byakuya observed children involved in criminal acts such as theft and violence as a way for survival. With such a mission and much work to be done, how will Byakuya ever achieve his plan? After noting down everything they could, they continued to the 71st district and repeated the same process. As they continued to keep going down in the districts, the situation grew worse and the conditions were tragically growing. It wasn't until they reached the 73rd district of Tomeina Kiri (Transparent Fog) that there was a slight difference in the people's wellbeing.

Tomeina Kiri was known for the thick fog clouds that surround the district making it hard to maneuver around. Most people took advantage of the fog and resorted to theft. The adults were either murderers or thieves and when it was least expected, they would attack their target and disappear with whatever they can get their hands on. Water is a necessity to live in the Rukongai and Tomeina Kiri was lacking in such an indispensable resource. Vendors that were open in the streets were only giving water to other adults that were able to make a profitable trade and the children were simply regarded as garbage. However, as Renji scanned the area, he observed that a lot of the children looked to be well cared for, even the elderly looked as if they were receiving water and attention on a daily basis. Noticing this odd predicament, Renji asked the people of the district if any help was being given to them and they replied to him that an angel has been sent to them.

"An angel?" Renji questioned as he continued to look through the district. Then he happened upon a young woman with straight white hair and white side bangs that curled up at the ends. She was assisting the children in drinking water from small cups and she was also passing out food to those with noticeable spiritual energy. She even gave sweets and other small scraps she as able to find to those that have no need for food but still enjoy the taste. Her smile was gentle and the children seemed to really look up to her. Looking at such a kind hearted girl give up her means of survival for the children put a smile on Renji's face. "So that's the angel everyone's talking about." Renji said with a smile. Renji then looked at the girl's attire and noticed how she practically wore rags and she possessed no shoes as most people of this district. _The others may be getting cared for by her but who cares for her? _Renji thought as he continued on to look at the rest of the people in the district.

"Miss, thank you for helping us like this." An elder woman said while thanking the young woman.

The young woman gave a gentle smile and motioned over a cup of water for the elder. "Any way I can help, I would rather help as many people as I can then try to keep this to myself. It wasn't easy to get this though, so I'm sorry I couldn't get much."

"It's okay dear, we appreciate everything that you're doing anyway." The elder woman replied as she gently placed her hand over the young woman's hands.

At that time, Byakuya and Akane walked over to the same area as the woman and also noticed how she was helping the elders and children get the food and water they need to survive. Noticing the two new strange faces, the people of the district started whispering to each other.

"Ne, Obaa-san, who are those people?" the young white haired woman asked the elder woman she was talking to earlier.

"Ah, they're Shinigami. Or at least the man is. I've never seen a Shinigami up close before, have you?"

"I have but that was years ago… I saw three up close and we were actually very close friends. He's such a beautiful man. Do all Shinigami possess such beautiful qualities?" As Hajime looked at Byakuya's back side and his long black hair flow in the direction of the wind, an image of long flowing red hair appeared in her mind. She gave a gentle smile and continued to help the children get their food and water.

As Renji finished patrolling the district and Byakuya's third and fourth seats finished writing their notes, they reported back to Byakuya as usual. As the group of four went to look for Akane and tell her that they were moving on to the next district, they heard a crash like sound and a woman's scream not too far away from them. Byakuya and his group immediately ran over to see what the problem was. When they came upon the situation, they saw a young boy on the floor, a bowl that was smashed into bits, a fish flopping on the ground, and the bottom of Akane's kimono covered in fishy seawater. Akane looked at the young boy with daggers in her eyes and the young boy quickly got up from where he was, despite being injured, and instantly apologized to Akane. However, Akane was seriously upset and decided to cause a scene instead.

Akane walked closer to the boy and picked him up buy the collar of his shirt as she knelt down in front of him. Anyone can tell that fear was written all over the young boy's face and he knew he wasn't going to make it out of this situation without a beating. "Do you think an apology is going to return this Kimono back to the state it was? Do you know how expensive this Kimono was and how long it took to make? There's none like it in the world and you've ruined it!" Akane yelled in anger as she threw boy back causing him to land on his bottom. However, he went back to his kneeling position and apologized again, which caused Akane to give a scoff. Akane then picked up the piece of the shattered bowl and Byakuya knew that if he did not stop Akane, the boy would receive a serious punishment. As he tried to stop Akane before she could raise her hand to throw it at the boy, a voice stopped both Byakuya and Akane in their tracks.

"Oi! Is that how you speak to children?!" A woman's voice called out from behind Akane. As everyone turned their attention toward the sound of the voice it was revealed to be the young woman from earlier and she quickly ran over to the boy to check on his wounds. "Hiyoshi-Kun, are you okay? My, these cuts are pretty serious, go see Obaa-San, she'll patch them up for you, I'll take care of things here, okay?" She said with a smile. Hiyoshi, with tears in his eyes, nodded at the young woman and quickly ran away back to the elder woman.

"You. How dare you let that boy escape. He needed to be punished for what he did." Akane said in a frustrated voice as she threw the piece of glass back on the floor.

The young woman gave a small smirk and faced Akane. "Punished? The one that should be punished is you." Hearing such a remark made to her caused Akane to be caught by surprise. Even Byakuya and his group members were surprised.

"I guess she really is an angel." Renji commented with a smile as he observed the girl standing up for the boy.

"Angel?" Byakuya asked.

"The people in this district call her an angel since she's been helping the people survive here. She's got some guts to stand up to Akane like that."

"She may be valiant but Akane is not one to let anyone else have the last word."

"What did you say?" Akane said as she walked toward the young woman.

"What kind of person wears such expensive clothes when they come to the Rukongai? Only a foolish person would and besides, it was only water that was splattered on your clothes, I'm sure it can be cleaned out. You do not need to make such a loud ruckus over a bowl of seawater."

"A person as lowly as yourself will never understand. Such fabrics needed to be handled with care, even such salt water can destroy the fabrics."

"So all you care about is your precious fabric and not the well being of others? From what I was able to see, Hiyoshi apologized to you immediately despite suffering from cuts due to his fall and you return his apology with harsh words and violence?"

"Do you not know who I am? I am Kuchiki Akane and I am a Noblewoman. Do you think I have time for such incidents? These children should be disciplined better and punished for their bad actions. And you. Who do you think you are to talk to me in such a disrespectful manner? You are nothing." Akane said as she faced the young woman's face. "You are just a commoner. You are nothing but trash." Akane said in a harsh tone as she stared directly into the young woman's eyes.

The young woman replied to Akane's words with a smirk and returned her gaze, "I suppose it takes one to know one, trash." Someone speaking to her in such a way infuriated Akane and caused her to reach her boiling point. Her eyes widened with anger and Byakuya tried to stop the events to come but he was too late. A loud smack sound was heard and echoed throughout the area. The young woman's cheek was burning a bright red and the only reaction Akane saw was a small smile appearing on the woman's face. This aggravated Akane even more and Akane was about to hit the woman again. However, Byakuya was able to grab onto Akane's arm before she was able to slap the young woman again.

"Akane, that is enough. You may return to the manor if that is what you wish. I'll let the Elders know you were a great help today. Thank you for accompanying us." Akane gave a scoff at Byakuya and yanked her arm out of Byakuya's grasp. She gave a menacing glare to the people of the district and walked out with an angry expression. Byakuya turned his attention over to the young girl whose white hair was covering her eyes. "Miss, are you okay?"

The young woman turned her attention to the other side, avoiding eye contact, and gave a gentle smile to Byakuya. "I'm fine. I'm sorry for causing such a ruckus. Please continue on to what you were doing." The young woman said quickly as she gave a bow to Byakuya and returned to the house she was at earlier to continue distributing food and water to the elders and children. Byakuya looked at the young woman with admiration for what she has done. No one has ever stood up to Akane like that before and it was surely a sight to see. Seeing such a complex expression on Byakuya's face, Renji gave a small chuckle and told Byakuya that he'll properly thank the girl for finally standing up to Akane and he'll catch up with them later. Byakuya nodded and gathered his third and fourth seats and made their way to the 74th district.

As Renji was making his way to the young woman, Hiyoshi appeared and hugged the young woman from behind. Seeing such a heartwarming scene couldn't help but make Renji smile.

"Nee-Chan… I'm sorry for what I did and thank you for helping me." Hiyoshi said as tears were once again forming in his eyes.

The young woman turned around and knelt in front of Hiyoshi placing her right hand gently on his cheek wiping away the fallen tears. "It's okay Hiyoshi-Kun, don't worry too much about it okay?" The young woman explained as she gave a gentle smile. Then, Renji noticed a strange ribbon that was tied around the woman's right wrist. It possessed a familiar color: soft lavender. That was when it clicked into his mind but could it be? If it was, she has surely changed.

As Renji walked closer to the young woman, he was able to see it: those sparkling silver eyes that attracted him from the first moment he saw them. As the girl noticed a presence walking toward her, she turned her attention to Renji and upon seeing him her eyes widened. Renji reacted in the same way and a small silence was shared between the two of them.

"Hajime…?" Renji questioned, as he believed his eyes was playing tricks on him.

"Renji? Is that you?" Hajime questioned, also believing that her eyes may be playing tricks on her.

"Am I not that recognizable?" Renji remarked as he gave a small smirk.

"On the contrary, I could tell it's definitely you. Those long crimson locks as well as that bandana trying to cover obvious forehead tattoos." Hajime explained as she gave a small laugh.

"Unlike you, your appearance has changed as well as your personality. The way you stood up to Akane… The Hajime I knew wouldn't have done that. You would have helped the kid escape but you wouldn't have talked back to Akane. What happened to you?"

"The Hajime you knew no longer exists." Renji was shocked and confused to hear such a statement.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I no longer am the weak and pitiful Hajime. I've learned from my mother's words that the people that survive in this world are those that are strong. I wasn't strong like my mother thought. I didn't fight back when the opportunity for me to was present. I was a coward and ever since I arrived here in Soul Society, I thought I would be reborn a new. That's why my hair is cut shorter (to a little above her butt) and is more relaxed. My ribbon is still very precious to me so I decided to wear it on my wrist instead and as for my personality: I grew stronger. It was thanks to such poor conditions I was brought in and when I saw how unfairly treated these children and elders were, I thought to myself, 'I have to help these people.'"

_Now, _that's_ the Hajime I knew. Always putting others before herself, _Renji thought to himself as he looked at Hajime with new eyes. He was able to see the change in Hajime and it made him attracted to her more.

"Since you've found me Renji, please don't take me back to that old life I struggled to leave behind. I don't want to be near Karakura Town anymore, everything I left behind when I died, I wish to leave there."

"Are you just going to stay here then?" Renji asked.

"These people need my help, I have no other place to go."

_I knew it. _Renji thought to himself, _convincing her to leave is going to be a mission in and of itself. I guess that's why the Captain-Commander gave me such a ridiculous mission. _"You can become a Shinigami." Renji insisted, "You have a strong spiritual energy and you can really make it. Why don't you try?"

"I can't leave these people here to die Renji. These past two years, I've come to learn almost all of their names and all of their stories. How can I leave these people behind? And for what? To see more blood? War? Sadness? I don't think I can do it Renji but thank you for your offer. It's best you leave now. Not many people are kind to Shinigami here. It was really nice to see you again." Hajime said as she gave Renji a hug.

After all these years of searching, he's finally found her and sadly, he knew Hajime was right. If she became a Shinigami, she'll only relive the hell she lived in the Human World. He couldn't bear to open her eyes to violence and sadness again, that will only break her and him as well. Renji and Hajime said their goodbyes and Renji moved on to district 74 to catch up with his captain. He completed his own mission, he's finally found hajime but with the Captain-Commander's orders, will Renji be able to persuade Hajime to join the Shinigami Academy without manipulating her feelings?


	6. Secrets

**[[ Another slow-ish chapter, my apologies!**

**Don't worry, it'll get better as we move along.**

**Hope you enjoy my return, I'll be turning in for the night.**

**Thanks for sticking with this story everyone, enjoy!**

**Until next time! ]]**

* * *

Secrets: they are the very things that were created to keep a sense of peace. They are created to keep other people happy and feeling safe. However, secrets also have the power to destroy friendships or even relationships but some secrets are not harmful at all. Those secrets are simply misunderstood and yet it still must be kept as a secret for the sake of others. There was a secret behind Byakuya's special mission, it wasn't a very large secret but it was still a secret nonetheless. Who exactly must this secret be kept from? No one knew but the orders from the Captain-Commander are law and if he says it must be a secret then so be it. The only ones that knew the true nature of Byakuya's plan were Byakuya himself and Renji. Yes, they were planning and building notes on how to better the lower districts of the Rukongai but that mission was simply that: planning and building notes. As much as Byakuya liked upholding the law, the Rukongai is a very complex place to uphold law. He agrees that measures should be taken to better the lives of many people there but there are not enough resources to do so and he regrets that but he was able to succeed in his mission and report back to the Captain-Commander.

"Kuchiki Taichou, were you able to find what we were looking for?" The Captain-Commander asked as he looked at the kneeling captain before him.

"Yes. I have found a few above average spiritual pressures in the lower districts of the Rukongai and have written their information in the document. However, there was one woman whose spiritual energy impressed me the most. I was unable to gather her information but it seems my Fukutaichou knows of her, it would be best to talk to Renji about her."

"I see. Maybe it's the woman he's been searching for. Chojiro, please fetch Abarai Fukutaichou here immediately." Yamamoto ordered his white haired Vice Captain.

Chojiro did as was ordered and brought Renji to the Captain-Commander's room. Renji looked at Byakuya who was still kneeling before Yamamoto and Renji proceeded to do the same. He hasn't quite reported to the Captain-Commander that he's found Hajime yet.

"Abarai Fukutaichou… I've heard from Kuchiki Taichou here that you ran into a woman with an impressive spiritual energy. Care to share her information with us? Is it Kisumoto Hajime?"

Renji grew hesitant; he didn't want to drag Hajime into the Shinigami business so he pretended that she was still yet to be found, "I still haven't found Hajime but the woman that the Taichou is referring to, I don't really remember her at all. There were a handful of people that held impressive spiritual energy, I'm pretty sure Kuchiki Taichou already wrote down all the people we came across." Renji explained as he tried his best to leave Hajime out of this but Byakuya knew Renji knew exactly whom they were talking about.

"Renji. Our mission yesterday was to report to the Captain-Commander of the people with spiritual pressures that can become beneficial as they join the Academy. You can't possibly tell me that the woman that stood up to Akane yesterday was completely erased from your mind. Of all the people we managed to see yesterday, she possessed one of the strongest spiritual energies."

Renji knew it, he couldn't get past his captain and now he simply looked like a fool.

Yamamoto raised his brow while expecting a perfectly good excuse from Renji but he had none.

"I'm sorry Captain-Commander, I lied to you. I did find her but Nori and I were right, she's too selfless to leave those people and join us. I told you that she wouldn't leave unless there's a good reason to."

"And I remember telling you to make that reason you." Since this is his first time hearing of such a mission, Byakuya's attention was caught but he did not show any signs of surprise. He simply opened his eyes and turned his attention to Renji. "Since I've had some time to think about it, I have a scenario planned already. The two of you will carry it out." As both Byakuya and Renji received their new mission, they walked out of the Captain-Commander's room and silence was shared between the two of them.

"Taichou…" Renji began breaking the silence, "Playing with a woman's feelings like that, how bad will it be when she finds out?"

Byakuya continued to walk and replied, "It's best not to let her find out if you value your life."

"I figured as much…" Renji replied with a sigh as the both of them prepared to start their mission and head to district 73 in South Rukongai.

* * *

Before going off on the mission, Renji went to Squad 13's Barracks to pay a visit to Rukia who still didn't know of Hajime's discovery. Renji told Rukia about the kind of person Hajime has changed into and what they talked about the other day. Renji also told Rukia about his mission and if he should really go through with such a thing.

"How could you get Nii-Sama involved in such a thing?" Was Rukia's first comment as she cared deeply about her brother's reputation but then she gave a sigh to Renji and replied, "If that's your mission, you have to go through with it. I don't know how soon you'll be able to drop the act but drop it quick. It isn't right to mess with Hajime's feelings like that."

"Yeah, I know. If I can get her to join the Academy then I'll try to slowly break her away from me. I just hope this doesn't ruin our relationship…"

"Should I come with you? We were pretty close, maybe some insight from me will help change her mind?"

"You're right, it could. Alright, we'll be leaving tonight. I'll let Kuchiki Taichou know."

. . .

Later that night, Renji, Byakuya and Rukia met in front of the gates into South Rukongai and made their way to the 73rd district of Tomeina Kiri. As night has fallen in Rukongai, in Tomeina Kiri, Hajime was helping the children and elders get comfortable in the houses that were available and tried to help them go to sleep. As most of the children were able to nod off, Hajime couldn't help but look at them with a face of regret. The truth is that when Renji offered to take her away from here, there was a part of Hajime that desperately wanted to go but she felt a sense of responsibility of helping the people that helped her when she landed in Soul Society. She put any thoughts she had of leaving aside and left the building. As she did so, she felt a pain in her stomach; she was starving. She looked in her bag and there was no food left, she gave it all to the children and elders. Hajime then decided to head toward the river to see if she can catch any fish for dinner tonight.

The river was abandoned at night since it was hard to make anything out through the thick fog but if Hajime doesn't eat anything, she'll surely faint. As she made her way into the water, she started to become a bit light-headed. Her head was hurting and she tried to shake it off but it wouldn't go away. She focused her gaze on the water and observed the water for any movement but then she felt a familiar ominous presence and as she observed her surroundings a loud roar was heard slicing through the silent air.

"Hollow? How on earth did it get here? Everyone's in trouble, I have to stop it somehow." As Hajime looked around, she saw nothing that could be used as a weapon or defense against the hollow and from what Hajime was able to tell, there was definitely more than one. The continuous roars and loud thumping sounds the Hollow created as they scoured for food caused the children and elders to wake up. Tomeina Kiri was in a state of panic and Hajime had no idea what to do. As a Hollow emerged from behind one of the buildings, its large muscular purple body was exposed. Its hands were just as large and possessed long sharp claws. The Hollow was also wearing a mask around its face that appeared to be a gas mask. The Hollow that appeared was known as the Suckerfish. The Suckerfish have the ability to poison anyone it touches causing an extreme pain to run through their bodies and after a short while, their bodies become numb and eventually disintegrate. The only way to eliminate the effects of the poison is to kill the Suckerfish itself. The suckerfish also has the ability to manipulate blood and cause it to boil, the Suckerfish would inhale the boiled blood fumes and it will provide extra power to its cero.

As the Hollow were walking through the streets, it can be noted that they were making their way towards Hajime who had the most spiritual energy in the area and it goes to show that it isn't just Hajime who is hungry tonight.

"That's right, Hollow usually target people with spiritual energy. If it's heading towards me, maybe I can divert them away from the district." Catching the attention of the Suckerfish, Hajime ran through the ocean but with her body as weak as it is now, she ended up tripping and landed in the water on her hands and knees. She barely had the strength to run.

"Nee-Chan!" A boy's voice was heard from far away. It was Hiyoshi who was trying to reach Hajime and the others but the Suckerfish was able to spot Hiyoshi and make its way to its target. Hajime desperately used up all her energy and was able to make it in time and use her body to shield Hiyoshi as she took the poison from the Suckerfish. The poison spread quickly and Hajime dropped to her knees as she was already feeling the pain, unfortunately for Hajime, the poison hurt more then the acidic touch she experienced years ago.

"Hiyoshi… run!" Hajime demanded as she tried to hide her pain in front of the frightened child. However, Hiyoshi didn't want to leave Hajime, he was scared that she might die and he blamed himself again for allowing Hajime to get injured. "Hiyoshi, you told me you were going to grow into a strong man and help the people of Tomeina Kiri. How can you do that if you're still here? Run! NOW!" After being threatened, or rather, yelled at to leave immediately, Hiyoshi followed Hajime's request and she was able to scream out in pain without worrying the others. _Is this the end?_ Hajime thought to herself as she felt her body getting numb. She turned on her back and looked at the Suckerfish above her. She was angry that she had no power to defeat such a monster and as she observed the Suckerfish lift up its arm, she knew it was the end once again. _Should I have joined you, Renji?_ The Suckerfish aimed for Hajime's heart with one of its sharp claws and swiftly targeted her. Hajime closed her eyes and braced for contact but instead she felt a strong muscular build pressing their body on top of her. As she opened her eyes, she saw a familiar crimson haired man with his maroon colored bandana covering his forehead.

"Renji?! What're you doing? Why did you do such a thing?" Hajime questioned as a look of concern took over her expression.

As blood was trailing out of Renji's mouth, he tried to give a smile to Hajime. "You always put yourself in these dangerous situations, you know that?" Renji barely managed to speak in between his short breaths.

"I don't understand… why would you do such a thing for someone like me?"

"Because it's you Hajime." Renji replied as he looked into her sparkling silver eyes. Upon looking at those eyes again, he felt horrible that he was betraying the trust that the two of them had built. Hajime looked into Renji's eyes and remembered the moment many years ago when Renji helped Hajime return her pass and their faces were just centimeters from each other. Hajime quickly turned her gaze over to something else and was trying to hide her slightly blushing face.

As Suckerfish removed its claw from Renji's abdomen area, a stream of blood was starting to pour out and Hajime grew increasingly worried. "Renji…" Renji tried his hardest to keep up his demeanor but his blood is already starting to boil which caused him to spit up a blob of blood. "Run Renji. I would rather die then to have Soul Society lose someone as great as you." Hajime said as she looked into Renji's eyes.

With the blood still streaming out of Renji's mouth, he lowered his head to whisper into Hajime's ear, "But I would rather die than to live in Soul Society without you." Upon saying those words, Renji fainted and the force of gravity caused the pressure on Hajime's body to grow stronger but since the poison has already spread through her body, she was unable to feel anything. At this moment, Rukia and Byakuya appeared to purify the Suckerfish as they finished battling the other Hollow that appeared.

_Looks like the plan worked… Hold on a little bit longer, Renji! _Rukia thought to herself as she went up against the Suckerfish. As Byakuya and Rukia landed on buildings opposite of the Suckerfish, they gave a slight nod to each other and decided to finish this battle by suing Kido.

"Hado Number 4: Byakurai!" Byakuya commanded as a bolt of white lightening targeted suckerfish.

"Hado Number 31: Shakkaho!" Rukia commanded as a red ball of energy made its way to the targeted Suckerfish. As both attacks reached its destination and successfully purified the Hollow. All effects of the Suckerfish's attacks should shortly diminish but the damage will remain unless treated. Rukia and Byakuya shunpo-ed down to Renji and Hajime and Byakuya carried Renji's injured body on his shoulder.

"I'll take my leave first Rukia." Byakuya said as he shunpo-ed back to Seireitei and made his way to Squad 4's Barracks.

Rukia then held out a helping hand to Hajime but Hajime was barely able to get back up on her feet due to the pressure of the pain as well as her famished body. "Here, Hajime. I figured you must have been starving out here." Rukia took out two pieces of onigiri and gave it to Hajime.

Hajime looked at the food with hungry eyes and she devoured the onigiri in seconds.

"It's really good to see you." Rukia stated with a smile.

"It's really good to see you too, Rukia." Hajime replied with her mind obviously distracted. "Ne, Rukia... Is Renji going to be all right? He looks like he lost a lot of blood."

"He's been dealt worse and still survived, don't worry too much about Renji, he's pretty strong despite being an idiot sometimes."

"Why did you guys come here?" Hajime said in an attempt to change the topic of the conversation.

"For you. Renji told me how he was able to find you. We wanted to help take you away from here. Renji and I both know what's it's like to live in Rukongai, we wanted to help take you away from it as quick as possible. You won't come?"

"I… can't. Everyone here, I have to help them."

"Hajime, Rukongai has been like this for decades, there will be no drastic change to the lifestyle of these people no matter how you help them. Why do you choose to stay?"

"Why do you choose to fight? Why must _I _choose to fight?"

" I fight to protect those that are important to me. I've lost many friends during my time in the Rukongai. I chose to become a Shinigami to honor them."

"I'm sorry…"

"Everyone has a reason as to why they do what they do. Take Renji for example, he had the opportunity to defeat the hollow but in exchange you most likely would have been pierced by its claw. So he chose to shield you with his body instead. Why do you think he did that?"

"I-I don't know…"

"To protect you. Renji has never stopped thinking about you. He looked for you for years and he never gave up on finding you. Hajime, you have a special gift. You have the ability to become a strong Shinigami; you should definitely give the Academy a try. Renji practically risked his life to protect you and your gift. I was told you were reborn, if you want to help these people, you must become stronger. You have to nurture the power you were given and use that power to protect what's important to you. That's the only way you'll be able to gain strength. You have to let go, you are not meant to stay in Rukongai and trade your survival for the survival of others. You are meant to survive to fight for the survival of others. What do you say Hajime? Will you come to Seireitei and join the Academy?" Hajime looked at Rukia with a conflicted expression and didn't know what she should answer. If she stays, she's staying for the sake of the people but if she leaves what is she leaving for? Power? Strength? Renji? Hajime's mind was a complete mess and she needed time to think about her decision. Rukia told Hajime that that was fine but the Academy is accepting applicants until the end of the week so Hajime must decide what she wants to do quickly. Rukia told Hajime that she'll be back in two days waiting for Hajime's answer and she shunpo-ed out of there.

As Rukia disappeared from sight, Hajime collapsed to her knees and thought about everything that happened. As Hajime was going over her thoughts, Hiyoshi walked over to her and grabbed her hand. "Nee-Chan… You should go. We'll be okay here. You've given us a lot and we thank you for that but that girl is right. Onee-Chan doesn't belong here. You belong with the Shinigamis and everyone already knew that you were going to leave us soon. And besides, you owe it to that Onii-Chan that saved Onee-Chan's life. He could have defeated the monster but decided that Onee-Chan's life was worth saving. Like my mama once told me, 'a life for a life.'" As Hajime was surprised by Hiyoshi's mature tone, she realized that he was absolutely right. Renji saved her life and the only way she can repay him for something like this is to gain strength to be able to pay it forward one day. She pulled Hiyoshi into a deep hug and thanked him for helping her decide on what to do. "Don't worry about us okay, Onee-Chan? After all you taught us, we'd be able to handle ourselves. Just don't forget about us, okay?" Hiyoshi said with a small smile.

"How could I ever forget any of you? I will definitely come back for all of you one day and help better this district. I promise but until then, I'll grow stronger. Thank you again Hiyoshi-Kun." And with that, Hajime was able to successfully make up her mind and the mission was a success. Hajime returned with Rukia to Seireitei and proceeded with the steps needed to prepare Hajime for the entrance exam since they only had about five days left. With Renji, who was fully healed, and Rukia by her side, Hajime was now in the discovery phase of learning how to control her reiatsu and what she needs to know in order to pass the exam.


	7. Shinigami Academy

"It looks like you managed to encourage Kisumoto Hajime to join the Academy. My plan was foolproof, was it not?" The Captain-Commander stated as he was praising himself.

"Yes it was." Renji said with a sly smile.

"Well now that we have her here, I'll put you in charge of her studies. She's very close to you and I'm sure she would feel more at ease."

"Of course. I'll start prepping her right away." Renji gave a bow and walked to the Sixth Division Barracks where he was informed that Hajime was waiting for him.

"Ah, Renji!" Hajime exclaimed as she ran to hug him. She was finally able to see him again after the incident in Rukongai and she felt very relieved that everything was in good condition. "Oh, you had me so worried, why did you do such a thing?"

"I did it to protect you." Renji explained as he looked at Hajime with gentle eyes.

Hajime's heart skipped a beat and she was starting to turn a blush pink so she quickly turned her attention to something else.

Noticing her odd behavior Renji sat on the couch beside her and gave a small sigh, "So, you say you're going to join the Academy?"

"After what happened, you didn't really leave me any other choice."

"Haha, well I'm glad you're finally on board. Don't worry, I'll teach you well! I'll have Rukia help us out as well. I was in the special accelerated class you know?" As Renji was praising himself, he had on a large grin that made Hajime smile gently in return.

Seeing such innocence on Hajime's face, regret was piling up in Renji's mind.

"Well then Renji, shall we start soon?" Hajime asked as she sat beside him with a big smile.

* * *

The day for the Shinigami Academy's entrance exam is quickly approaching and as Hajime's been studying, she was able to retain as much as she was able to from the textbooks that both Renji and Rukia have given her. The textbooks went over the general guidelines of what a Shinigami does and about the different divisions Shinigami would be able to join as they graduate from the Academy: The Kido Corps, the Gotei 13, or the Onmitsukido. However, even though Hajime may possess book smarts, she is still struggling to access and emit her reiatsu and such a skill is crucial for the entrance exam. Renji, Rukia, and Hajime gathered in Renji's office and started their reiatsu control training once again.

"Okay, Hajime. Let's get this training started, get in position." Rukia ordered as she hoped that Hajime would be able to succeed this time. Hajime proceeded to sit on the table that was placed in the middle of Renji's office, crossed her legs, and closed her eyes. "Good. Now relax and clear you mind." Rukia said as she sat down on the couch next to Hajime. "Breathe in. Breathe out." Hajime did as told and her body felt less tense. However, that was not the hardest part of the training, the hard part was trying to access the energy that was hidden within her soul. As her body felt less tense and her mind was focusing on the energy that she's always been able to sense as a child, she was taken to a deep subconscious part of her mind. As she explored this part of her mind, there was nothing there: it was simply a vast white space that looked as if it extended for miles. When Hajime finally reached this part of her mind, now the real training began. This subconscious part of Hajime's mind is where she is going to access her Reiryoku and begin controlling it before making way into the Academy. While Hajime was in this state, her reiatsu was surrounding her and was a white color.

"She's in." Renji noted as he took a seat on the couch opposite of Rukia. "Okay, now Hajime, I'm going to pass over some of my reiatsu to you." Renji then placed his hand on Hajime's shoulder and as a red color reiatsu was present, he transferred some of it over to Hajime. In Hajime's subconscious, endless ribbons then appeared in front of her and they were of many different colors: pink, orange, red, light blue, white, violet, green, blue, golden-yellow, etc. These colors represented the different colors that reiatsu possess and Hajime's task was the find the ribbon that belonged to her.

"Hajime, what do you see?" Rukia asked.

"Ribbons… of a variety of colors." Hajime explained as if she was in a hypnotic state.

"Okay, do not touch any of them yet. In your subconscious, you need to focus and concentrate on a source of energy that will resonate with your body. Simply concentrate and you should be able to grasp the ribbon that is the link to your Reiryoku." As Hajime listened to Rukia's orders, she closed her eyes in her subconscious and tried to focus on the energy that was in her body. The more focused Hajime was, the more ribbons disappeared and the stronger her reiatsu appeared. As two of the ribbon colors were starting to disappear, Hajime was getting closer to her goal. She then thought about her mom and how she was unable to protect her and such thoughts caused her subconscious to shake and her reiatsu was starting to lose control.

"Calm down Hajime, clear your mind. You need to focus on the energy and you need to want it as well." Renji explained as he tried to help Hajime regain control over her reiatsu.

_I need to want the power._ Hajime said to herself as she tried to focus on the energy once again. Her mind filled of thoughts of the people she met in Rukongai. She remembered when the Hollow attacked and she was unable to do anything and she also remembered how Renji nearly lost his life to save hers. _A life for a life, _Hajime remembered as the other ribbons were starting to fade away. _I must survive in order to fight for the survival of others. _As Hajime reminded herself as to why she agreed to become a Shinigami, her reiatsu was spiking and she was able to feel the energy that was hidden in her soul. As she opened her eyes in her subconscious, a large ball of yellow light appeared in front of her and she reached out her hand to grab it. As she reached out at the ball of light, a lavender ribbon emerged and Hajime's white reiatsu turned to a light purple color. Seeing such a sight caused Renji and Rukia to stand in joy as Hajime finally succeeded in accessing her Reiryoku and she is now finally able to emit her reiatsu with no problem. However, training her reiatsu and controlling it, will be an issue she will have to tackle in the Academy.

"Finally." Renji remarked, "I thought you were never going to get it done."

Hajime gave a smile and replied, "It was all thanks to you, Renji. You were able to give me the willpower to fight. You too Rukia, thank you both."

"Don't thank us just yet, you have to get into the Academy first. We have two days left, you should go hit the books again." Rukia explained to Hajime.

"Okay. I'll definitely try my best!" -

It was finally time to take the entrance exam for the Shinigami Academy and Hajime was starting to grow nervous. As she made her way to the field where applicants will participate in the entrance exam, the field was absolutely _packed _with hopeful Shinigami-to-be's. Hajime grew even more anxious and starting picking at her fingers once again. Hajime stood in one of the long lines but at least it was moving quickly, many people were rejected almost immediately since they didn't possess a trace of reiatsu.

"Next!" After about an hour or so, it was finally Hajime's turn.

As she walked toward the booth's window, she met a Shinigami with dark grey eyes, short black hair, and three scars straight over his right eye that leads down to his chin. The man also has a "69" tattoo as well as a blue-striped tattoo running across his left cheek and over the bridge of his nose. He gives off the appearance of a "delinquent" but as he was talking to Hajime, he was very mature and very calm. It was Hisagi Shuuhei, Fukutaichou of the Ninth Division.

"Can I have your name?" He asked

"Uh, Kisumoto Hajime." Hajime spoke with her soft voice.

Hisagi looked up at her and he was already aware of the amount of reiatsu she possessed by just looking at her.

"Okay, Hajime, you are only allowed admittance to the written portion of the exam if you are able to access your reiatsu. Please, release some of your spiritual energy."

Hajime did as practiced; she took a deep breath, cleared her mind and focused on the energy within. Hajime was able to conjure up a large orb in her hand that was comprised of her reiatsu. Hisagi was impressed, as well as the other applicants behind Hajime.

"Congratulations Kisumoto Hajime, you made it to step 2 of the exam. Make your way inside and head to the conference room. You'll be doing your written exam there."

Hajime bowed to Hisagi and thanked him as she made her way to the conference room. There, an impressive amount of people was already working on their exams. Hajime took a seat in the back of the room and was handed an exam sheet.

All the studying with Rukia and Renji pulled off when Hajime was handed back her test with a 99%. She was accepted into the special accelerated program and was given her uniform and dorm key that evening.

. . .

"Congratulations! We knew you would make it!" Rukia exclaimed as she gave Hajime a hug.

"Congratulations." Renji said sincerely as he placed a hand on Hajime's shoulder and gave a small smile.

"I even got into the special accelerated class, just like you Renji." Hajime said as she smiled at the red haired Shinigami. "I wouldn't have been able to do it without either of you." As she spoke, she only continued to look at Renji. Her gentle silver eyes were glittering and Renji was unable to resist the pull they had.

Noticing the atmosphere, Rukia grew worried. _Oh no. I know this look. When a teenage girl has this look, it's bad. Damn it Renji, you really did make her fall for you. _

"Why don't we help you move into your dorm, Hajime? You don't have many things so we'll go buy some with you." Rukia suggested.

"That sounds like a great idea. Thank you."

* * *

After getting all the supplies that Hajime needed, Rukia, Renji, and Hajime made their way to the dorm rooms located at the Academy. Looking at the note she received, it read room 329.

Upon reaching the designated room, the door was already opened. Hajime slowly walked through the door and was greeted by a girl with long pink hair and green eyes who was sitting on her already made bed surrounded by three of her friends.

"You must be my roommate. I'm Sakura." The girl announced, as she seemed to show no interest in Hajime and returned her attention back to her friends.

"Hajime, nice to meet you."

Sakura's friends kept glaring at Hajime and it made her feel quite… uncomfortable. Renji and Rukia just looked at each other and helped Hajime set up her things. Sakura's attention was caught when Renji walked through the door.

"Oi, Haruka, who's your friend?" Sakura asked as she patted her eyes at Renji and started twirling her hair.

Hajime was confused, who was Haruka? "Uno, are you asking me?"

"Yeah, who's your cute friend?" Sakura started to walk toward Renji and gave a playful smile.

"My name is Hajime."

"Yeah yeah yeah, I want to know what _his_ name is."

Rukia gave a stifled laugh at the scene before her and Renji and Hajime shared a confused look as Hajime shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm Renji. Fukutaichou of the Sixth Division."

Sakura's eyes lit up, "_Fukutaichou, _you say? Wow, strong and handsome." Sakura then put her hand on Renji's arm and that caused Hajime to feel conflicted. However, before Hajime was able to speak up, one of Sakura's friends greeted her from close-up.

"Yo." The boy spoke, causing Hajime to jump at how close he was to her face. The boy had long navy blue hair and blue eyes. He gave off a rich kid vibe but he didn't seem to show any air of arrogance or the like.

"You know, you're pretty good looking." The boy stated as he picked up a strand of Hajime's hair and kissed it. Hajime was startled, as was Rukia and Renji who was watching the scene unfold. "I'm Kisume, nice to meet you."

Hajime gave a gentle smile in reply to Kisume's gesture and Renji quickly yanked her on the wrist to talk in the hallway.

"You sure seem to have made quite an impression already Hajime." Renji stated as he looked back at the group of people in her room. "Are you going to be alright?"

"I'll manage… I suppose."

"Well if you need anything, we're here for you." Rukia added.

Rukia, Renji, and Hajime bid each other farewell and Hajime returned to the rather odd atmosphere. As Hajime continued to put her belongings away, she felt the stares of people piercing the back of her head.

"Is something wrong?" Hajime asked as she turned toward Sakura and her friends.

"That Fukutaichou, what's your relationship with him? Is he your boyfriend?"

"Eh? Boy-boyfriend? N-No, of course not. We-we're just friends." For some reason, as Hajime described Renji as only her friend, she felt a slight pain in her chest.

"Good because I call dibs on him."

"Dibs?" Hajime questioned.

"You don't know what dibs are?" Kisume asked, "She's saying that no one else has the right to talk to him or get to know him, he's hers now. Just like how I called dibs on you, Hajime." Kisume gave a sly smile to Hajime and she couldn't react in any other way except to give a smile in return. _What have I gotten myself into? _-

It was the start of the first day of classes and Hajime was up and ready early in the morning. She put on the Academy's uniform that is similar to the standard Shinigami Shihakusho but the women's style consists of a red _shitagi_ (under shirt), a white _kosode_ (shirt) with red stripes, red _hakama_ (trousers), white socks and sandals. She made her way to her classroom and was one of the first people to arrive.

Slowly, more people were filling in the seats and she saw Sakura and Kisume enter the classroom as well. She was quite surprised to see the two of them in the special accelerated class. Kisume noticed Hajime and rushed to sit in the empty seat next to her. Sakura sat with a group of people in the middle of the room.

Shortly, a tall, lean, bald-headed man walked into the classroom with a stern expression. "Okay students, let me introduce myself to all of you. My name is Gengoro Onabara and it's a pleasure to inform you that out of the entire incoming freshman group, your test scores of the entrance exams were the highest. Congratulations for making it into the Advanced Class! Of course, that means that the expectations are higher as well. I'm certain all of you are already aware of this but you must train hard and strive for excellence in your future pursuits. Now, to get this class started, let's have each of you introduce yourselves one by one. Miss, why don't you start us off? Please tell us your name and whether you're planning to join the Gotei 13, the Kido Corps, or the Onmitsukido." Gengoro and the rest of the class focused their attention on Hajime.

"Ah, I'm Kisumoto Hajime. I'm interested in joining the Gotei 13." Gengoro gave an approving nod and motioned for Kisume to talk.

"I'm Ichinose Kisume and I also want to join the Gotei 13." The introductions continued with the various aged people that were in the class and when everyone had their chance to speak, Gengoro passed out textbooks that were filled with Hado and Bakudo spells.

"Now that we've gotten to familiarize ourselves with each other, I want all of you to partner up and study the spells in the textbook. We'll be focusing on our Kido tomorrow so you all better come fully prepared. I expect nothing less from the Advanced Class. See you all tomorrow. Class dismissed." As Gengoro made his leave, the students were quickly making their way into pairs. As for Hajime, the person that wanted to be her partner was, you guessed it, Kisume.

"So Hajime, you'll be my partner right?"

"Yeah, it's no problem. It'll be a pleasure working with you Kisume."

. . .

After studying with Kisume for four hours, Hajime thought it was time to take a break and she couldn't really head back to her dorm room since Sakura was hosting a study "party" so she made her way to the Sixth Division Barracks to see Renji. As she entered the Barracks, she came into contact with Byakuya. They only met briefly once during the incident in Rukongai so they've never had the chance to officially be introduced to each other.

"You're Renji's friend, correct?" Byakuya asked as he examined Hajime.

"Y-Yes. I just finished studying and I thought a break would be nice. I also wanted to ask Renji for some advice on kido, he told me he was in the accelerated class during his Shinigami Academy days."

"Kido?" Byakuya gave a small smile. "If you're hoping to receive lessons on Kido, it would be wise to stay away from Renji."

"Eh?" And speaking of Renji, he just returned from his errand and came across Hajime and Byakuya.

"Ah, Hajime, what're you doing here?"

"I was looking for you, and this man, he-" Hajime still had no idea who Byakuya was.

"Ah that's right, I haven't introduced the two of you yet."

"Taichou, this is Kisumoto Hajime; the friend I made back in Karakura Town a few years ago." Byakuya gave a small smile to Hajime. "And Hajime, this is the Captain of the Sixth Squad as well as the Nobleman of the Kuchiki Clan, one of the Four Noble Houses, Kuchiki Byakuya." Hajime gave a slight bow as she was in awe at his beautiful and graceful features.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Kuchiki-Sama."

"You do not need to address me as such. Kuchiki-San or Kuchiki Taichou are perfectly fine. Now if you'd excuse me, Kisumoto-San, I have some paperwork I must attend to, it was a pleasure meeting you. Renji, you best be teaching her well." With those final words, Byakuya made his way to his Captain's Quarters and Renji was left alone with Hajime.

"So, why were you looking for me?"

"We're practicing our Kido tomorrow and I thought I'd get some help from you. What do you say?"

Renji was hesitant. He may have been in the accelerated advanced class but he wasn't skilled in Kido, he excelled in Zanjutsu. However, he agreed to help her anyway.

Renji took Hajime to the training field in the back of the Sixth Division Barracks and set up a few targets for her to practice on.

"Okay Hajime, let's focus on your Hadou spells first. There are three targets, use three different spells, got it? And, make sure you say the incantation correctly."

Hajime gave a nod and stood before her first target, "Hadou #4, Byakurai!" Upon command, a bolt of white lighting emerged from Hajime's fingertip and made way towards its target.

"Hmm… That was kind of a weak spell for you to use. You know Hadou #31? Try that one and say the incantation."

"Eh? But Renji if I don't possess the ability to fire that, won't it explode?"

"Just do it and you'll see the answer for yourself."

"Okay." Hajime stood in front of her next target and took a deep breath. Remembering the incantation, she spoke, "O Lord, Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter wings, you who bears the name of Man, Inferno and Pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, March on to the South! Hadou #31, Shakkaho!" A large ball of red energy made its way toward its target and practically blew it up into pieces.

Renji gave an approving smile at the scene, "See? What did I tell you? You're much stronger than you think Hajime, you just gotta believe in yourself. Alright for the last target, why don't we try Hadou #63, we'll see if you're at that level yet."

"You're jumping from 31 to 63? I know you said believe in myself but that's such a strong Hadou spell!"

"We'll measure where you're at with that."

"If you say so, you're the teacher." Hajime gave a small smile and stood before her next target. "Scattered beast bones! Spire, Crimson Crystal, Steel Wheels! The wind if it moves, the sky if it stops, the tone of the spear striking fills the lone castle! Hadou #63, Raikouhou!" As Hajime fired the lighting at her fingertips, the spell backfired on her and exploded, Renji quickly shunpo-ed to take her out of the dust and smoke.

"I told you." Hajime said between her coughs.

"Well at least we know what you shouldn't try for tomorrow's lesson." Renji explained as he gave a small laugh and looked toward Hajime who was in his arms.

Hajime looked up and Renji's face was quite close, her heart was beating fast. It's been years since someone showed her what affection looked like and as she looked into Renji's eyes, the two shared a moment of silence as they slowly moved their faces toward each other. Before their lips made contact, however, a third seat interrupted them.

"Abarai Fukutaichou! Ah, sorry!" The boy yelled in panic as he ran away from the scene before him.

Getting back to their senses, Renji released Hajime and the two of them weren't able to look at each other.

"I-I should probably go see what he wanted, it could've been important."

"Y-yes, of course! I should probably get going too, it's getting late!" The two of them separated and as Renji returned inside his barracks he put his hands to his face in regret.

_Dang it, I know I did it for the mission but why is there still some part of me that feels attracted to her? I should probably stop seeing Hajime alone from now on._

* * *

**[[ Now we get to see Hajime at the Shinigami Academy, it's gonna be exciting!**

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please let me know what you think.**

**I'll try to whip up another one soon!**

**Thanks for sticking with me, until next time! ]]**


	8. Winter Break: Part 1

"Oi, Haruka!" Sakura's loud voice woke Hajime from her slumber, "We have Kido training today." Hajime looked at the time and it was 7:50 already, Hajime has never been late to class before and all she wanted to do right now was sleep.

"I'll be going first." Sakura stated as she left the room without any worry for Hajime.

Hajime barely got any sleep last night since all she was able to think about was the close encounter with Renji. Hajime tried to clear her thoughts and quickly got ready for class.

Making it to class _just _on time, Kisume greeted Hajime with a large smile, "Yo, you're pretty late today. Were you dreaming about me?" Kisume winked in a playful tone.

"Uh-" Before Hajime could even respond to Kisume, Gengoro entered the room.

"Alright everyone, we'll be making our way to the Kido training field. Get together with your partners and form a group of six." As everyone got into their groups, Gengoro brought his students to the outside field.

"Okay, Group 1, your task for today will be Bakudo #4: Hainawa. Aim for the wooden target in front of you."

As the first group said their incantations and performed Hainawa, an energy rope appeared and bound their targets' arms. Gengoro nodded his head at the group and wrote down his observations.

…

It was finally time for Group 6 to take their turn. Group 6 consisted of Hajime, Kisume, Sakura, and three other teens.

"Okay Group 6, you all will be performing Hadou #33: Sokatsui. Remember to say the incantation correctly and keep steady control of your reiatsu. If you say the incantation incorrectly or your reiatsu balance is off, the spell will end up blowing up in your face.

Heading the warning, the six students prepared their stance and recited the incantation in unison, "O Lord, mask of flesh and bone, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of man, truth and temperance, upon this sinless wall of dreams unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws!" Six waves of blue flames whipped through the air and damaged the targets creating a cloud of smoke. As the smoke cleared, it was revealed that one of the puppets lost its arms, one lost its head, two were damaged severely at the chest, and another two were completely destroyed.

Tracing the destroyed puppet back to Sakura, she received looks of praise and a round of applause, she gave them a sly grin in return.

_No wonder the Toujiro girl received high marks in all categories; she's highly skilled but… so is the Kisumoto girl, _Gengoro thought to himself as he traced the other destroyed target to Hajime. He wrote down his observations and the next group was set to perform their task.

As the group returned to the back of the line, Sakura was still getting a handful of compliments and she loved it, she couldn't stop flipping her hair or putting on that fake gentle smile.

"Hajime, you did great! I know everyone's focused on the Princess right now but wow, you have great spiritual energy!" While getting complimented by Kisume, as always, his word choice was quite odd when talking about Sakura.

"Princess? Is Sakura a Noble?"

"Eh? Ah… Haha, forget I said anything." Kisume gave a smile and walked over to Sakura.

_That was weird, _Hajime thought to herself as she observed both Sakura and Kisume talking to one another.

* * *

A couple of months have passed by at the Academy and it was almost time for the winter holiday break. Many of the students are returning to their families in the different areas of Soul Society but there were also a handful of students staying within the dorms; one of the students being Hajime.

"Are you heading back to see your family, Sakura?" Hajime asked as she was observing Sakura pack her belongings.

"Family? I don't really have any family here but I don't want to stay here for the break. I'll be visiting Kisume's family and staying over their place. What about you, Hajime?" Sakura asked. Not too long ago, Sakura and Hajime got more comfortable with each other and are now considered friends. Sakura decided it was only right to address Hajime by her actual name.

"I don't have any family here either. I'll be staying in the dorms but I'll most likely be visiting my friends today, see if they have any holiday plans."

"Friends?" Sakura's eyes lit up, "Then, are you going to see Renji Fukutaichou?"

Hajime stopped what she was doing and thought back to the past couple of months. After the Kido training incident, Renji has been acting differently around Hajime. He's been distancing himself from her and it seems that he's gotten closer to Sakura instead.

"Ne, Hajime, you think all the attention I've been giving Renji Fukutaichou has been paying off? He's been visiting me frequently."

"That is true…" Hajime stated as her voice drowned out and she thought back to the moment when her lips and Renji's nearly made contact. She remembered the look in his eyes; they were genuine and full of affection. _Maybe I read his feelings wrong?_

"I'm going with you!" Sakura declared, breaking Hajime's thoughts.

"Eh?"

"It'll be a good chance for me to ask him on a date! And you'll be there, you said you two were good friends right? You can put in a good word for me! Please, Hajime?" This is Hajime's first time ever hearing Sakura say please. It must mean that she's either desperate or her feelings for Renji were stronger than Hajime thought. Hajime wasn't the type of person to deny a friend's request so she simply gave a small smile and a nod, agreeing to Sakura's request.

. . .

Hajime and Sakura made their way to the Sixth Division Barracks and began their search for Renji.

"Hey, you don't think the Taichou's here, do you?" Sakura asked a little wearily. However, as if right on cue, the two young women bumped into Byakuya in the common area near his Captain's Quarters. Sakura grew startled and quickly hid behind Hajime.

"Kisumoto-San? Are you looking for Renji? Ah, and you brought a fri-wait a minute, Sakura, is that you?" Byakuya asked as he tried to get a better look at the pink haired girl hiding behind Hajime's fragile body.

"EH, Kuchiki Taichou, Sakura, you two know each other?" Hajime asked in surprise as she turned around to face Sakura and reveal her face to Byakuya.

"You remember Akane, don't you Kisumoto-San? My wife… Well, Sakura is her younger sister."

"_Half-_sister." Sakura emphasized.

"Then, you really are of noble blood." Hajime commented as she thought back to Kisume's words a couple of months ago.

"I am a noblewomen by name, not by blood. Aka-Nee, as I call her, only share the same mother as I do. She's the one born with the Toujiro blood. When my father passed, mother thought handing me the same name would bring in suitors and would give me a better reputation but I'm still considered an 'illegitimate' child."

"But things are different?" Hajime observed.

"I was granted freedom," Sakura stated as she looked at Byakuya with a smile, "Since I didn't share the same blood as the Head of the Toujiro Clan, I had the option to not participate in the clan's affairs and the title was passed to someone else; Byakuya-Sama's little sister, Rukia. Thanks to their sacrifice, I was granted freedom. Freedom to do whatever I want and… to fall in love with whomever I want." After learning more about Sakura, Hajime gave a gentle smile in her direction but that smile didn't last long as a certain redheaded Fukutaichou entered the common room.

"Renji…" Hajime whispered under her breath as the two locked eyes with one another. There was a brief moment of longing and pain behind their gazes that lasted less than a second when Renji's focus was turned to Sakura.

"Renji Fukutaichou!" Sakura called out as she noticed his presence and grabbed onto his arm with eyes full of admiration.

"Yo Sakura" Renji greeted with a large smile. He then looked once again at Hajime and his smile grew smaller and less bight, "Hajime" he acknowledge while giving a slight nod. Hajime returned his smile.

Finally understanding the atmosphere in front of him, Byakuya narrowed his eyes slightly. _Renji, you fool._

"So, what are you two doing here?" Renji asked.

Well, our Winter break is tomorrow and I wanted to know if you wanted to go on a date before I leave for the holidays." Hearing the word "date" caused Renji, and even Byakuya's, eyes to widen in surprise.

"A d-date?" Renji asked while caught off guard. He looked towards Hajime again and she had on such a warm smile, Byakuya unmistakably detected the ache behind that smile.

"Renji, you may or may not know this but Sakura really likes you. It took a lot of courage for her to ask you to go on a date. Won't you say yes? She's a really great person, at least give it a try?" Hajime urged with her soft voice.

Looking at Sakura's glittering green eyes, Renji thought to himself, _This is good… I need to quickly separate myself from Hajime and clear my mind. I can't stand to look at her eyes anymore; I need her to get over me quickly._

"Sure, let's go on a date then Sakura. We can even go now. I finished all my errands today." Hajime felt a sharp sting in her chest.

Sakura jumped in joy as she clung onto Renji's arm, "Thank you!"

Renji then turned his attention to Byakuya who was still in the room and was looking for his chance to bid the three his goodbyes, "Taichou…"

"Take your time, I'll be sure to keep Kisumoto-San company." Byakuya stated as he walked toward Hajime and put his hand on her shoulder only to realize that she was quite tense.

Renji and Sakura bid their goodbyes as they left arm in arm to enjoy their impromptu date. As the two of them left, Hajime looked upon Renji with saddened eyes.

Slowly, she turned to face Byakuya and with an obvious painful expression, she gave a gentle bow and also bid farewell to Byakuya.

He couldn't bear to have her leave with such a pitiful expression so he invited her to have tea with him.

"Thank you for the offer Kuchiki Taichou but I don't want to interrupt your work or anything…" Even though she said that, Hajime actually wanted some company right now. She didn't have many friends and Rukia was off on a mission and the only other person she's gotten to get to know better was Byakuya.

"I insist. We've met many times and you've come to visit the barracks frequently yet I still know little about you. I'd like to get to know you better and you are never a bother Kisumoto-San." The way Byakuya spoke with such gentleness and calm, Hajime was unable to refuse his offer.

The two headed to the garden in the back of the barracks, it was beautiful and very relaxing; cherry blossom petals flooded the ground and the sweet aroma of flowers filled the air. Just breathing in the fresh sweet air made Hajime feel like she was in a whole new world. Tea was already prepared at a table underneath a cherry blossom tree and as they sat to drink their tea, it felt as if the world stood still and everything was calm.

"Kisumoto-San." Byakuya began.

"Ah, I've been meaning to tell you this but since we've known each other for a while now, I'd like for you to address me as Hajime, if that's okay with you, Kuchiki Taichou." Hajime said with her usual gentle smile.

Looking at her innocence and gentleness, Byakuya couldn't help but give a smile in return, "Then, Hajime, how have your studies been coming along? Have you been enjoying yourself at the Academy?"

Hajime told Byakuya about her days at the Academy, meeting Sakura, meeting Kisume, the hectic class schedule, and how she's happy Renji convinced her to join the Academy.

"You've made some memorable experiences, haven't you? It also seems like that Kisume boy has taken quite a liking to you?"

"I suppose… but he isn't the one… Uh, I mean he isn't…" Hajime doesn't even know what she wants to say.

"He isn't the one you like?" Byakuya questioned as he nonchalantly took a sip from his cup. "Renji, he's important to you, isn't he?"

"Was it that obvious?" Hajime asked, slightly embarrassed.

"It's the way you look at him, I can tell he's special to you but Renji… he's a complicated one and unfortunately, his heart already belongs to another."

"Ah, really? Would it be Sakura?"

"I do not know who has taken his heart but he has been behaving differently. I caution you to be careful Hajime. If you give him your heart and he does not hold the same feelings, I would be saddened to see either of you hurt." Even though Byakuya knew of the mission given to Renji, he knew it was not his place to tell Hajime and so he only offered that small piece of advice. _Renji, I understand I told you that completing your mission is your first priority but do you realize the damage you've done? After all this, does your heart still belong to Rukia?_

While Byakuya was deep in thought, Hajime admired his beautiful features; his long black hair flowing in the direction of the wind, his air of dignity and pride, and how beneath all that, he was gentle and caring of others. Admiring the graceful image before her, Hajime pulled out a piece of paper and pen from her pocket and started to sketch Byakuya.

No one knew of Hajime's secret, not even her mother, but Hajime was an artist at heart and she loved to draw. As much as she loved learning and reading, her heart belonged to the arts and no matter where she went, she would always carry a piece of paper and pen with her and draw whatever catches her eye. Today's model was Byakuya. As Hajime quickly finished her sketch, she folded the scrap of paper and placed it under Byakuya's plate while he wasn't looking.

"Kuchiki Taichou, I should probably head back to the dorms, I don't want to keep you any longer. Thank you for chatting with me, I enjoyed it very much." Hajime said with a smile as she stood up, gave a bow, and made her way back to the dormitories.

As Byakuya finished his tea and was getting ready to head back to his paperwork, he noticed a piece of paper under his plate. Opening up the paper and looking at its contents, he saw a beautifully sketched portrait of him sipping his tea with his hair floating in the wind along with the cherry blossoms. He gave a small smile at the scrap of paper and placed it in his pocket for safekeeping.

* * *

Meanwhile, at Shinigami Café, Renji and Sakura were enjoying their desserts.

"So, you think she bought it?" Sakura asked while eating her parfait.

"I hope she did. I need her to rethink her feelings for me, and hopefully we can become good friends again. Thanks for your help Sakura."

_About 1 ½ months ago._

One morning, Renji was told to head to Shinigami Academy and deliver a message to Sakura from the Toujiro Family.

"From Akane, Taichou? What does she want with Hajime's roommate?"

"Oh, that's right. I haven't told you yet, have I? And it's been almost five years since the union." Byakuya said as he sat at his desk finishing his paperwork.

"Tell me what?"

Byakuya told Renji about the true nature of Sakura; how she's Akane's half-sister and how she was granted freedom in exchange for agreeing to an arraigned marriage.

"Wait, she has a fiancé?" Renji asked in surprise since Sakura has flirted with him countless times, "But she's flirted with me every time we saw each other!"

"That's Sakura's way of enjoying herself. I, personally, do not approve of such actions but since her husband has already been chosen for her, and at such a young age, I do not blame her for behaving as such."

"Then, this message…"  
"That's right. Akane and her mother have found a suitor for Sakura and they wish for her return immediately. I figured since she's also Kisumoto-San's roommate, it would be more convenient if you delivered the letter. You would be able to spend time with Kisumoto-San as well since you have finished your duties for today."

"Ah, she's been pretty busy lately so I haven't seen her much." Renji gave an excuse as he thought back to the incident a few months ago, "But I'll deliver to message anyway and drop by to say hi to Hajime. Be back later."

. . .

Arriving at room 329, Renji took a deep breath and knocked on the door. He was greeted by Sakura who had on a large playful smile.

"Ah, Renji Fukutaichou! Is there something you needed?"

"Is Hajime here?" Renji asked wearily.

"No, she's with her teacher, she's been having trouble with her Zanjutsu lessons."

_Thank goodness, _Renji thought to himself, "Well, I have a message from Akane for you."

"Akane? Then, you know?"

"Yeah, you can drop the act. The Taichou just told me."

"Boo. I was enjoying teasing you too." Sakura said as she grabbed the letter out of Renji's hands and sat on her bed.

"Well, thanks for the message, you can wait for Hajime here if you want, I'll be heading to my sister's soon."

"Uh, no, that's fine, I'm gonna go too."

"You… what exactly are you to Hajime?" Sakura questioned as Renji was about to leave.

"Why-why do you ask?"

"She told me you two were friends but it seems more complicated than that. I've noticed that you've been distancing yourself from her. You know right? She likes you. But you, you don't know _what _your feelings are, is that right?"

"I already have someone I like." Renji explained.

"That may be true but it seems Hajime's in your heart now too. If she wasn't you would've told her straightforwardly that you already have someone you like." Sakura stated as she observed Renji with narrow eyes.

"It's complicated but I can't have Hajime falling in love with me. Maybe-maybe you can help me with this."

"Ooh, drama. I love it. Spill."

Renji told Sakura about everything that happened; he told her about the mission the Captain-Commander gave him, how he feels guilty for deceiving Hajime, how Hajime's developed feelings for him, and how they almost kissed.

"Wow. I-I don't even know what to say. So, where do I come in?"

"I need you to keep doing what you're doing. Keep flirting with me, keep talking about me, whatever. In the end, I need you to ask me out in front of Hajime. I need Hajime to believe that I have feelings for you and not her. I'm sure she'll get over me quickly."

"So, deceive her again is what you're saying."

"There's no other way. I can't tell her the truth, she trusted me. It'll destroy everything we built."

Sakura thought about it for a moment, "Okay, I'll help but on one condition. When I ask you to take me on a date, can you actually take me on a date? I signed my love life away already so I'd like to enjoy some fun time while I can."

"That's simple enough. Then we have a deal?"

"Deal."

. . .

"Well, thanks for taking me out, it was fun. I had fun." Sakura said as she got up from her seat, "Good luck with, uh, everything, haha." The two bid each other farewell and Renji made his way back to the barracks.

Returning to the Sixth Division Barracks, a message came telling Renji to head to Byakuya's Chambers.

"You called for me, Taichou?"

"Have a seat Renji." Byakuya said, or rather commanded, as he was continuing his paperwork from earlier this afternoon.

Renji gave a gulp, "Did I, uh, do something wrong?"

"Kisumoto Hajime, how much longer are you planning to deceive her? You brought Sakura into this as well, didn't you? Earlier when she was talking about her family to Hajime, she was speaking falsely. What have you done Renji?"

"Taichou, ever since I got the mission from the Captain-Commander to play with Hajime's feelings, I don't know what I'm even doing anymore! If I tell Hajime that I don't like her, she'll question the reason why I pushed her so hard to come to Seireitei and join the Academy. Hajime is smart, she'll find out I was lying just to have her become a Shinigami. But the thing is Taichou, even though my heart belongs to Rukia, there's a part of me that feels attracted to Hajime. It's like she somehow crept into my heart and she won't leave. I'd rather have her feel like I don't love her than to tell her I played her." Renji was getting worked up. The guilt, the stress, and the confusion were building up too fast. Byakuya took pity on him. "We even almost kissed. I didn't back away or anything. If our third seat didn't come when he did, I think we actually would've kissed Taichou. I would have built up her feelings even more. Ah, I've really screwed up, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did. I understand everything Renji and I'm simply looking out for you but I do not want you to keep dragging this on and hurting yourself and Hajime even more."

"Hajime?" Renji questioned as he looked at Byakuya with widened eyes and a small-amused smile.

"Wipe that smile off your face. Have you forgotten? I am married."

"Not to a woman you love." Renji interjected.

"Be that as it may, we simply had tea and she told me to address her as Hajime. We've known each other for a while now and she wanted me to drop formalities with her."

"And to her, you are…?"

"Kuchiki Taichou." Byakuya stated in his usual tone of voice.

"Right." Renji said sarcastically.

"Stop changing the subject Renji. It's been half a year already since this whole charade has been occurring. You must figure out a way to put an end to all of it, do you understand? The longer you continue to deceive Hajime, the worse the pain."

"I understand. I'll do something about it soon."

"Good. You are dismissed."

"Hai." Renji gave a bow and left Byakuya's room, "If there's anyone that's deserving of Hajime, it's the Taichou." Renji spoke with a grin as he made his way to the Thirteen Division Barracks.

* * *

**[[ Boring? Probably. Sorry!**

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**I'll be working on another chapter so until next time my loves! ]]**


	9. Winter Break: Part 2

**[[ Sorry for the wait, another chapter for you lovelies! ]]**

* * *

A week has gone by and the winter break is slowly coming to an end. Hajime has been cooped up inside her dorm room all vacation and studying for her classes. Rukia and Renji have been busy with their duties as Vice Captains and have not been able to spend any time with Hajime but Hajime wasn't complaining, she enjoyed the quiet; it took her mind off of things.

As the day went by, a sudden commotion was heard coming from the hallways. Hajime, puzzled, stopped her work and looked out from her door, she saw a group of people, dressed in regal attire from head to toe. She saw two familiar faces; one was of Sakura, who was wearing a beautifully decorated red kimono and Akane, wearing a similar matching kimono as well.

With the two women were two men; the older man stood with an air of dignity and poise, as for the younger, he stood with gentleness but behind his eyes, Hajime was able to pick up a sense of sadness and it wasn't only coming from the boy but Sakura as well.

"Saku…ra?" Hajime spoke softly as she slowly made her way out of the room to greet her friend.

Akane turned her head towards the voice and gave a scoff, remembering their first encounter months ago when Hajime talked back to her.

"What do you want, commoner? My little sister has arrangements with her fiancé to take care of here, we do not have time to dillydally."

"Fiancé?" Hajime questioned in surprise as she looked toward Sakura who turned her head away in shame and embarrassment.

"Ne, Sakura-" Before Hajime was even able to finish her thought; she was cut off by a harsh voice.

"How dare you address my sister so casually? She is of Toujiro blood and will soon be married to one of the four noble houses. How on earth did you get this filth as a roommate, luckily we are taking you out of here and away from _her_."

Ignoring Akane's attitude, Hajime simply walked toward Sakura, and looked at her with wavering eyes, "Sakura, you're engaged? But, Renji? I thought you were granted freedom, what happened? And you're leaving, just like that?"

Sakura couldn't face Hajime, she felt a sense of guilt as well, "I'm sorry Hajime, I really am."

"Are they forcing you to do this? Is _she _forcing you?" Hajime questioned as she glanced over to Akane who was clearly upset at being addressed so lowly.

"My freedom will be granted once I marry. After the marriage, and the union, I will be able to do as I please, if I can provide an heir, that is."

"Then what about Renji? You two were so close, I thought-"

"Renji? Abarai Renji? Byakuya-Sama's subordinate? Oi Sakura, have you been fooling around again?" Akane glares daggers at Sakura who simply stands with her mouth shut.

"I'm sorry to interrupt the conversation, Akane-Sama but we really must quickly get our errands done, the Young Master has a full schedule today." The older man spoke out.

"Yes, of course. Sakura, come." Akane was practically dragging Sakura away.

"I'm really sorry Hajime." Sakura called out with saddened eyes as she was being pulled away from the hall.

"I don't understand any of it…" Hajime whispered to herself as she looked at Sakura being dragged away.

. . .

Unable to finish her studies, Hajime thought back to the events earlier in the day. _I don't understand. Sakura said she was granted freedom to do as she pleased and to marry whomever, she and Renji got together didn't they? So… what happened?_

Hajime was unable to stop her thoughts as she continued to think about Sakura, _I should go see Kuchiki Taichou and Renji, maybe they'll have some answers. Sakura can't just leave! We've just gotten to become close._

Quickly making her way out of her dorms, Hajime ran to the Sixth Division Barracks.

"Excuse me," Hajime said as she talked to a member of the squad, "is Renji or Kuchiki Taichou here?"

"The Taichou? He stepped out earlier but he should be back soon. As for Abarai Fukutaichou, I think he's in the Taichou's Chambers with Rukia, just go straight down the hall, take a left, and then a right, it'll be the large room at the end of the hall." The man answered.

"Ah, thank you very much."

Following the squad member's directions, Hajime made her way to the Captain's Chambers. The large door was slightly open and peeking inside, Hajime was able to spot out Rukia and Renji, however, before she was able to knock, Renji's words stopped her in her tracks.  
"I did it again Rukia. I lied to Hajime, again."

_Eh?_ Hajime questioned, as she was unable to back away from the door.

"What are you talking about Renji?"

"I brought Sakura into the equation and made it seem like Sakura and I are gonna go out. I had her ask me out in front of Hajime, there was no other way than to break her heart in order for her to get rid of her feelings for me."

"Renji, you idiot! You just made things worse than they already are! Sakura is going to marry her fiancé soon, and once they make a public announcement, don't you think Hajime is going to question it? Hajime isn't stupid, you need to quickly tell her the truth!"

"I can't! I've told you already! If she finds out that I just used her to get her to join the Shinigami Academy, she'll hate me forever!"

_Used…me?_

"So what, you're just going to continue to play with her emotions? She likes you Renji, and you made her believe that you liked her too. That's the only reason why she left the Rukongai, _you _were the reason why she left. How do you think she's going to feel when she finds out on her own that you've been deceiving her and lying to her? You need to tell her the truth! Do you even know what the truth is? Or have you been playing along for so long that you actually believe that this is something you can continue to happen?" Rukia was angry, she was upset, and she was disappointed. She hated the position Renji was put in and how that has caused him to deceive and lie to a good friend of theirs.

"I don't know anything anymore, my mind has been going crazy with everything I've done. But… the only thing I'm certain of is," Renji moves over to Rukia and holds her hands, "my feelings for you. Rukia, you are the one I love, and I'm so sorry for everything I've done."

"You idiot. I'm not the one you should be apologizing to. I don't want to hurt Hajime anymore, she's been through so much in the Human World, you have to end it Renji, now."

"I know, I will."

Hajime, who was still listening behind the door, had on a complex expression; she was hurt, betrayed, and lied to but she was unable to grasp anything at the moment. Her mind went numb and she started to frantically run away from the door.

Focusing on running, Hajime bumped into someone on her way out, as she looked up to see who it was, she quickly turned her head away, apologized, and ran out of the barracks. It was Byakuya she ran into and as they locked eyes for a brief moment, he was able to sense the unease in her eyes as they wavered. He wanted to go after her but he knew what caused her to be upset was straight ahead, in his Captain's Chambers.

Byakuya calmly walked to his room and abruptly opened the door causing Rukia and Renji to jump in surprise.

"Nii-Sama, is everything alright?" Rukia asked.

"You two, what were you two talking about in here?"

"We were just talking about the mission regarding Hajime, why?" Renji asked.

"You fool, she was standing outside the door listening to what you had to say."

"Nani?!" Rukia and Renji yelled out simultaneously.

Byakuya gave a small sigh, "I will look for her, you two have done enough damage. I will bring her back and you are going to settle things once and for all, am I clear, Renji?"

"Yes, Taichou." Renji said in a voice of defeat as he sat back down in the chair with his head in his hands, "What have I done?"

. . .

Meanwhile, Hajime ran back to the Academy and hid herself inside the art room. The art room is rarely used and it is the only place Hajime can be alone with peace and quiet.

She sat on the stool and thought about everything that Rukia and Renji revealed, "So… that's how it was, huh?" Hajime wiped her tears from her eyes and thought back to what her father told her as a child, "Love? You think anyone would love you? You're nothing; you're trash! People like you are simply used by others and quickly disposed of. You will never be loved, you don't deserve to be loved."

The tears flowed once again as her father's voice echoed inside her head, "To think that you'd actually be right for once, am I going crazy?" Hajime asked herself as she gave a scoff.

As Hajime was able to calm down, she was about to leave when the door suddenly opened. It was Kisume.

"Kisume? What're you doing here?" Hajime asked while trying to hide her altered voice that shows how obvious it was that she was crying.

"I was looking for you, you weren't in your dorm and usually, when you're hiding, you come here."

"You've been watching me?"

"Only because I care about you." Kisume walked closer to Hajime and noticed her red puffy eyes and looked at her gently, "so, who are you hiding from and what did they do to make you cry?"

Hajime hesitated; she didn't know whether it was the right move to bottle her feelings in or to let them out. As silence was still present, Kisume suddenly spoke out, "Whoever hurt you, I'll make them pay for it."

Hajime looked at Kisume in surprise and noticed the serious expression he had on his face, "There's no need. It wasn't his fault, it was mine."

"Yours? What did you do wrong?"

"I developed feelings for a man whose heart was already taken and yet, he led me to believe that he had the same feelings. I was lied to, deceived, and betrayed."

Kisume held onto Hajime's hand, "I would have never done that to you, Hajime. Am I so pathetic that you overlooked my feelings for Abarai Renji Fukutaichou?"

"Kisume-" Hajime was unable to speak when she was suddenly pulled into a forced kiss. The shock and surprise was too much and when she tried to push away, Kisume continued to force their lips together.

A cut suddenly appeared on Kisume's cheek and he released his grip on Hajime. Silence was shared between the two.

"Kisumoto Hajime," a familiar stern voice called out.

Hajime turned her attention to the door and saw Byakuya standing before her, "Kuchiki… Taichou?"

"I have matters to discuss with you, Hajime. Come with me."

Hajime didn't question it at all, she immediately left the room and waited for Byakuya. As it was simply Byakuya and Kisume in the room, Kisume gave a smirk towards Byakuya, "Oh, so even Kuchiki Taichou is interested in my Princess? That won't do. You'll regret marking my face, Kuchiki Byakuya."

"If I were you, I wouldn't be making empty threats." Byakuya stated as he left the room.

Focusing his attention on Hajime, who has gone completely defensive, Byakuya spoke calmly and the two of them walked back to the Sixth Division Barracks.

"You knew, didn't you Kuchiki Taichou? About Renji's mission… that's why you warned me."

"I apologize Hajime, it was not my place to tell you the truth."

"No, I understand. I also knew… it was Rukia all along."

Byakuya eyes widened a bit as he looked at Hajime who had on a gentle yet painful smile.

"I thought there was a purpose for me being here, I thought I was wanted and I wanted a reason to leave the life of Rukongai behind. I made my reason Renji. He's cared for me, protected me, and showed me warmth I haven't felt in ages. I let myself become attached to him and made things harder for him, didn't I? If everything is all a lie, why am I here, and who am I here for?"

Byakuya couldn't answer right away, and he knew that the answer to her question was not a simple one.

"My father was right… I don't deserve to be loved."

"Now, that is something I would have to disagree with, Hajime. You have every right to be happy and to be loved, it's just, Renji isn't the man that will provide that for you."

"If not Renji, then who?" Hajime asked with a tone of desperation as she looked into Byakuya's eyes. At that moment, the words "me" were about to slip out unintentionally but Byakuya was able to regain his composure before answering, "Only you know the answer to that, Hajime."

"You'd think I would feel more angry, more hurt, but surprisingly, I've gotten accustomed to such feelings of betrayal. It's funny isn't it, Kuchiki Taichou?"

. . .

Returning to the Sixth Division Barracks, Byakuya accompanied Hajime to his Chambers where Rukia and Renji sat waiting to finally speak of the truth to Hajime.

"Hajime…" Renji spoke out in a soft voice.

"Renji, it seems we have a lot to talk about, don't we?" Hajime said with a slight smile.

Renji and Hajime were left alone in Byakuya's Chambers to talk about everything. Meanwhile, Byakuya and Rukia made their way to the common room and talked as well.

"Rukia, now that Renji is finally going to end this charade, what are you going to do?"

"Eh? What do you mean, Nii-Sama?"

"I'm talking about your feelings toward Renji, what are you two going to do? Are you going to pursue your feelings?"

"I'm… not sure. I know that my obligations are different for the Kuchiki Clan but-"

"Do not fret, you and Renji will be safe from all the trivial matters of the House. The elders have been pushing Akane and I to have a child soon, an heir is important if we wish for the Kuchiki Clan to continue and I do not wish for you to delve into this world so late. Whatever you wish for, whatever you plan to do, I will fully support you."

"Thank you, Nii-Sama. If only I could say the same for you. Akane, she is truly something."

"I know you do not approve of her but she was necessary for the stability of the houses."

"What about for the stability of your heart?" Rukia questioned.

"What do you mean?" Byakuya asked in confusion at Rukia's strange choice of words.

"Everyone knows that you don't love her, even Akane knows this. Heck, she doesn't even love you. If you were granted a divorce, would you take it to pursue your own feelings? To finally go after a chance at love?"

"For someone like me, that path is not an option Rukia. I'm happy that it's an option for you, however."

"One day, Nii-Sama, I just wish you'd break the rules once and go after something with all of your heart. Whether it's love or something else, I hope that you'll be able to grab onto it."

"If I do not follow the rules, then who will?"

"Nii-Sama…"

"But Rukia, would you mind telling me about Hajime? What was her life like in the Human World? We were talking on our way here earlier, and she said something that caught my eye, just how horrible was her life down there?"

Rukia gave a deep sigh and began to tell Byakuya about Hajime's past.

. . .

"I don't know how many more times I can apologize to you Hajime. I'm so sorry for playing you like this and it's understandable if you hate me and don't want to see me ever again." Renji was on all fours as he was apologizing to Hajime.

"Renji, you don't have to stay on the floor like this. I've accepted your apology and I understand your reasoning for doing what you did. You only did it so it would lessen the hurt, right? Thank you, Renji." Hajime gave a small smile and Renji felt all the weight lift off his shoulders.

"So, Rukia, huh? You made it so obvious, hehe." Hajime giggled in such a light tone, Renji was taken aback. "Treat her well Renji, I won't forgive anyone that breaks Rukia's heart."

"I definitely will. Thank you, Hajime." The two have talked everything out and in the end, they rekindled their bond and their friendship is still as strong as ever. After finishing their conversation, the two met back up with Byakuya and Rukia and explained that everything is back to normal now.

"Well, now that everything has been cleared up, I will head back to my paperwork." Byakuya stated as he made his leave.

"Ne, Hajime, you wanna go get a drink?" Renji suggested.

"Uh, I'm actually not good with liquor, even just a little bit already makes me woozy. School resumes tomorrow too so I'd rather not. But please, you two go on ahead."

"If you say so, we'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Definitely, have fun!"

The three bid their farewells and as Renji and Rukia made their way to the bar, Hajime headed back towards Byakuya's Chambers and knocked on his doors.

"Come in." Byakuya responded. When Hajime poked her head in, Byakuya was slightly surprised, "Hajime, did you need something?"

Hajime gave a heartwarming smile, "Thank you, Kuchiki Taichou."

Before Byakuya was able to even question her, she has already left the room.

Byakuya paused for a moment, opened the small desk drawer above his lap and took out a small scrap of paper with his portrait drawn on it, "No, Hajime, thank you."

* * *

The next day

School was back in session and as Hajime went to class, Gengoro had an announcement for the class, "I have some saddening news to share with you all today, due to personal reasons, Toujiro Sakura will no longer return to the Academy. Let's all wish her well and work hard today."

With the announcement of Sakura's leave, everyone quickly whispered amongst himself or herself.

Hajime recently learned that Sakura would be living with her fiancé until she gets pregnant and provides an heir as promised. Though Hajime has no idea how the life of royalty works, such arrangements are hardly reasonable or fair in her eyes.

"Yo, Hajime!" A cheerful voice called out to her, it was Kisume. Remembering yesterday's events, Hajime backed up a little and put on a defensive wall.

"Ah," Kisume noticed this and he softened his eyes, "Don't worry Hajime, I won't do anything like that again. I'm sorry."

"Why… did you do it in the first place?"

Kisume sat in his seat and gave a small sigh, "I guess its cause I was in your position too, liking someone who already has feelings for someone else. I was upset that you didn't pay me attention but also because Abarai Fukutaichou hurt you enough to make you cry. I wasn't really thinking when I kissed you, and I'm really sorry. I really blew my chances with you, huh?"

"Sorry Kisume but I don't think I'm ready for love or anything of the like at the moment."

"I understand." Kisume stated with a smile, "Oh, have you already put your deposit in? And since Sakura's out, are you going to be staying in the dorms?"

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"Ah, well when two people are roomed together, they split the pay for the room but since Sakura's out, you'll either have to pay for the whole room, or find somewhere else to stay if you can't afford the dorms. As for the deposit, it's payment for our Asauchi."

"Asauchi?" Hajime thought back to her studies when she was studying for the entrance exams, "ah, our Zanpakuto, we're getting them so soon?"

"The deposit needs to be placed in by the end of Tuesday, and Asauchis are given to the students during Wednesday's class. The deposit is $250."

"$250? I… don't have any money on me at all. I haven't even heard about all these payments, I thought we were able to attend this school at no cost, why have no one told me about these payments?"

"Ah, well it's a new system, it's really only applied to the accelerated and honors classes. The system changed about 10 years ago? The school needs more funding and what better way then to have the students pay for their education?"

"How am I going to get that amount of money so quickly? At this rate, I'll probably-"

"Get kicked out." Kisume stated, finishing Hajime's sentence, "You should talk to your advisor after class, maybe they can help you get an extension or something."

"Okay, thanks Kisume."

. . .

Class was finally over and Hajime immediately went to her advisor's office.

"Ah, Kisumoto Hajime, just the person I was looking for." A woman's voice spoke as she stepped out of her office.

"Are you Takahashi Haruka?"

"Yes, I am. Come in, we have some serious business to discuss." The two got situated and Haruka began business immediately, "So, Hajime-San, with Sakura's withdrawal, your payment plan is going to be altered." Haruka flipped through a stack of papers before continuing, "I see that you have no job currently and that you have no sponsor so you only have two options. You can either leave our dorms starting in the next semester and start commuting, only paying the 5 grand you owe now, or you pay for the full price of the room and stay. So, including next semester, that'll be 15 grand in total. I also see that you are getting your Asauchi on Wednesday, you'll need to give us your $250 deposit by Tuesday to secure an Asauchi for you. Do you know what you'd like to do?"

"Eh, ah, I don't have anywhere else to stay but to come up with that type of money… when is the deadline for the payments?"

"Well if you are planning to leave, your 5 grand will be due, in about two weeks. If you decide to stay, the 15 grand will be collected at the end of the first year."

"How on earth am I going to get this sort of money?"

"If you are able to somehow find a job within the Academy, your earnings will go toward your payment but it's already so late within the semester that I doubt there are any openings. I suggest looking for a sponsor, that may be your best bet in this case."

"A-Alright, I understand, thank you."

Hajime left the office with a sullen expression, "In the end, it's always money, isn't it?" She let out a large sigh, "I should go find Renji, and maybe he'll help me find a job."

Hajime made her way to the Sixth Division Barracks and saw Renji and Byakuya taking a break in the common room.

"Ah, Hajime, is there something you need?" Byakuya asked as he sipped tea from his cup.

"Well…" Hajime explained everything to the two men; how she's currently broke, how she's in debt, and how she's on the edge of being homeless and forced to drop out of the Academy.

"Ah, it's been so long since I've been there, I completely forgot about the new system! This is bad! I can give you a loan for your deposit but for your dorm payment, we're going to have to find you a sponsor but how do we do that so last minute? Argh, sorry Hajime, I should've looked into this more."

"Don't blame yourself Renji, if the money will be too difficult to come by, I'd rather drop out then to borrow such large amounts of money."

"That won't be necessary." Byakuya spoke out as he was silently listening to the conversation, "I'll be your sponsor and we actually have a job position open at the manor. We have a room to spare as well, what do you say?"

Renji and Hajime were silent in shock; they couldn't believe what they just heard.

"Taichou…" Renji spoke in disbelief.

"Kuchiki Taichou… Why…?"

"I have high hopes for you Hajime, so sponsoring your education is no issue. However, the spot we have available is actually as Akane's personal attendant. I will provide the deposit needed for your Asauchi for now but Akane will be in charge of your paycheck at the end of the week. I'll speak to your advisor and see if we can link those payments together. However, the choice is all up to you."

"Is it really… okay?" Hajime asked as if just _asking _was a selfish thing to do.

"You do not need to feel such guilt, you will be working for the money."

"It's a job Hajime, I would take it, it's your best option." Renji explained.

"Then… I accept your offer Kuchiki Taichou. Thank you so much! I'll work very hard!" Hajime ran over to grasp Byakuya's hands and gave a smile so bright and warm that Byakuya couldn't help but smile in return, "You're very welcome, Hajime."

Her hands were so warm, Byakuya hasn't felt such warmth in so long and he didn't want to let go of them either.


	10. Kuchiki Manor

**[[ I'm back! Here's another chapter for you lovelies.**

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* * *

"Wait, what?! You're going to be staying at Kuchiki Manor?!" Kisume shouted louder than he intended to, causing his fellow classmates to turn their attention toward Hajime.

"Shh!" Hajime urged as she quickly covered Kisume's mouth and gave a small, embarrassed smile to her classmates.

"How on earth did you manage that? Did you make some sort of deal?"

"He offered me a job. He's been very helpful and I don't know how else to repay him."

"Whaa, he's really interested in you then." Kisume remarked.

Hajime was caught off guard, "What're you talking about?"

"Well, you two aren't exactly close right? Why else would he offer you a job, take care of your financial problems, and let you stay at his _house_? He totally likes you."

"Kisume, that's not the case and he's married. I gotta go, I'm supposed to head to the Manor directly after class. I'll see you tomorrow!" Hajime said as she put her books in her bag and ran to her dorm room to gather her belongings and make her way to Kuchiki Manor.

Hajime has never really had the chance to explore Soul Society yet so she's following a map drawn by Rukia, and as one can guess, Chappy was everywhere on the map, making it a bit difficult to follow.

After about 20 minutes, Hajime was able to familiarize herself with the layout and compare it to the map, finding the Manor quite quickly.

Lifting her head from the map, Hajime was in awe of the large and grand looking building. Cherry blossom petals decorated the front lawn, and there was a sense of peace and grace that one could not escape from.

"Oh my… it's so beautiful here. It matches Kuchiki Taichou's personality well." Hajime remarked with a smile.

"Ah, Kisumoto-San, you're arrived." A familiar voice greeted her beyond the front gate.

"Eh, Kisumoto-San?" Hajime questioned in confusion.

"My apologies, but since you are going to be staying here as a part of the staff, I must address you as such."

"And just when I finally got you to drop formalities too, hehe. I understand, then, Kuchiki-Sama, thank you for the opportunity you have given me." Hajime said in a polite tone as she gave a small bow to Byakuya.

"Please make your way inside, we'll show you to your room, give you a tour, and let you know what your duties are." Byakuya opened the gate revealing the calming and beautiful layout of the Manor. There were flowers in full bloom, surrounding a crystal clear lake that had koi fish swimming happily. Such serenity and peace already calmed down Hajime's nerves.

Hajime grabbed onto her one suitcase and bag and made her way through the gate. She was greeted by an elderly couple that were in the standard uniform for the staff here.

The man, Tanaka, is wearing a black tuxedo like outfit; he is the head butler of the Manor and Byakuya's personal attendant.

The woman, Mikasa, is wearing a black and white kimono decorated with mint colored flowers; she is the head maid and is in charge of overlooking the staff members.

Hajime bowed to the two and greeted them respectfully. Tanaka grabbed Hajime's belongings and the three of them made their way to the room that was prepared for Hajime.

"Ah, I can carry that myself, it isn't too heavy."

"Please, do not worry. It is our job to make you as comfortable as possible here." Tanaka explained with his soft husky voice.

"Leave them be, it is their job to do as such, you will be doing the same for Akane as well." Byakuya explained.

"I see…"

The three made their way to a room located on the right side of the Manor, where Byakuya's room is also located.

"I hope you like it, it was prepared a bit last minute but as Tanaka explained, we only wish that you remain comfortable here." Mikasa stated with a smile as she opened the sliding doors to reveal a beautifully decorated medium-sized room.

The room glowed from the pure white décor and hints of lavender were spread throughout the room adding a splash of color. A small bed with fluffy sheets and pillows lay in the center of the room against the wall and a matching desk was prepared as well. It felt like home and Hajime was unable to express how happy she was in words, she simply stood there with a warm smile on her face.

"It's beautiful… but all this, isn't it too much for a person whom you hired to be a maid?" Hajime questioned as she turned to face Byakuya who simply stood there with his eyes closed.

Mikasa gave a slight laugh, "Byakuya-Sama takes good care of his staff members, do not worry. Since you are a student, he wanted to give you an environment that will make you feel more relaxed and at ease. The other maids also have decorated their bedrooms similar to this and some are even more extravagant. It's a thank you for all the hard work that they put forth in the Manor."

"Then I should work extra hard, if I'm to be deserving of all this." Hajime said to herself as she looked at her new bedroom, "Thank you, Kuchiki-Sama."

"My pleasure. My room is also down the hall, so if you have any questions, you are always welcome to visit."

Hajime could only give a smile in return.

"Well, let's leave your belongings here and get you dressed." Mikasa stated as she walked toward the closet and pulled out the uniform for the maids. "We'll be waiting for you outside." Tanaka, Mikasa, and Byakuya left the room and Hajime was left to change into her new uniform.

"From one uniform to another." Hajime said as she admired the high quality fabric of the uniform. Changing into the uniform, Hajime observed herself in the mirror. The kimono possesses long black flared sleeves with a minty and white floral pattern and the mint skirt runs to about halfway above her knees. A large mint colored bow was position in the middle of her obi, securing the outfit in place. As for her shoes, maids were required to wear black snug slippers, as it's more comfortable to walk in.

Hajime took a deep breath and emerged from the room, all eyes on her, "So, how does it look?"

Byakuya's eyes slightly widened in awe as he admired Hajime's beautiful features, but he quickly looked away, closed his eyes and said, "It suits you well."

"Ah, thank you." Hajime said softly, slightly embarrassed.

Tanaka and Mikasa gave each other amused looks and quietly laughed at one another.

"Well then, now that you're dressed for the part, I'll give you a tour of the Manor. Akane will return later this evening so the two of you will be formally introduced when she comes back. Tanaka, Mikasa, thank you for your help. You may return to your duties, I'll have Kisumoto-San report to your room after the tour so you can set up her schedule, Mikasa."

Mikasa and Tanaka gave a bow to Byakuya and did as they were told; only Hajime and Byakuya remained.

"How are you feeling, Kisumoto-San?"

"Eh?"

"Are you feeling slightly overwhelmed?"

"Ah, just a little… I'll be fine though, thank you for looking out for me, Kuchiki-Sama."

The two continued to make small talk as they explored the various rooms inside the Manor. Byakuya took Hajime to the kitchen, the pantry, the laundry room, the training room located in a separate building, the banquet hall, also located in another building, the different study rooms, the break rooms, the bathrooms, Rukia's room, Tanaka's room, Mikasa's room, Akane's room, and lastly, his room. By the time the tour ended, the sun was already setting and the staff members were preparing for dinner.

"I have some paperwork to finish before dinner so I'll leave it to you to find Mikasa's room? She should have finished your schedule already so it's best to get started on your duties as soon as possible. I'll see you at dinner." Byakuya stated as he went off to his study.

Trying to remember the layout of the Manor, Hajime miraculously found her way to Mikasa's room.

"Looks like you made it here in one piece, Hajime-Chan. So, what do you think of the Manor? Beautiful, isn't it?"

"It's very beautiful. I'm thankful I get to stay in such a nice place as this."

"Haha, well here is your schedule for the week. You will actually be helping the workers in the kitchen prepare dinner tonight and then you will report to Akane-Sama's room after you help clean up after dinner. Understood?"

"Yes, then, I'll make my way toward the kitchen, now. Thank you, Mikasa-San."

As Hajime made her way to the kitchen, everyone was in a rush preparing dinner for the Head of the House and his family, Hajime simply stood there in bewilderment at the worker's swift and calm movements.

"You must be Hajime, get over here, you can take over my spot while I focus on the soup base." A man wearing an apron spoke, "So, you're just going to peel these and dice them into chunks for me, got it?" the man handed the peeler over to Hajime, who was unable to even speak a word.

Hajime went to wash her hands, took the peeler and peeled the carrots and potatoes as quickly as she can. She didn't do too much cooking with her mother when they were living in Karakura Town but she can do this much at least.

As the workers picked up the pace, Hajime felt pressured to quickly get her job done. She finished peeling all the vegetables in the basket so next was cutting them.

"Yo, newbie, did you finish cutting the vegetables yet? They need to simmer in the stew for a while, we need them now!" Another male worker shouted to Hajime.

Picking up the knife, Hajime quickly chopped the vegetables to the best of her abilities but she ended up cutting her finger in the process.

"Ah." Hajime reacted as she looked at her finger that began dripping with blood.

She quickly grabbed a napkin, the knife, and went to wash her hands. Thank goodness there was no blood anywhere near the food.

"Oi, Hajime-" The male worker from earlier, that gave her vegetable job, called as he came over to check on her and noticed the cut on her finger. He opened one of the cabinets and took out a first aid kit, "Don't let the others add pressure to your plate, just keep going at your own pace." The man said as he asked for Hajime's hand.

"I'm sorry, I was trying to get it done quickly…"

The man put the Band-Aid on Hajime's finger and gave a small smile, "I'll finish up the rest of the vegetables, you got most of it done already, why don't you help the ladies set up the plates?"

"I-I understand." Hajime felt disappointed, it was her first day on the job and she already made a mistake. She gave a sigh and went over to help the ladies set up the plates of food and bring it out to the dining room.

An hour has passed and it was finally time for dinner. Akane, who returned home not too long ago, made her way to the dining room to see that Byakuya and Rukia were already sitting there, waiting for her.

"Akane-Sama." Rukia greeted.

"Akane, welcome home." Byakuya stated with his usual gentleness.

"Yes, I'm home and I'm starving. What's for dinner today?" Akane asked with a smile as she sat in her seat next to Byakuya.

As if right on cue, the servers brought out the dishes and laid them on the table for the family.

"Ooh, beef stew? Looks delicious!" Akane stated as she looked at the food before her.

Hajime was given the task to serve tea to the family so she gripped onto the teapot and made her way to the table.

"Break a leg, Hajime." The man from earlier cheered.

Walking cautiously to the table, Hajime poured tea into Rukia's cup and before Rukia could even greet her friend, a harsh tone caused Hajime to slightly jump in surprise.

"What on EARTH are _you _doing here, you filth?" Akane asked as she glared daggers at Hajime.

"Yah! How dare you call Hajime such names!" Rukia retaliated in defense.

"Ah, Rukia-Sama, it's okay, don't worry about it."

"Ne, Hajime, just Rukia is fine." Rukia stated with a smile, "You're my friend, no matter what your position is."

"Friends? How can you be friends with someone so rude and-"

"Akane," Byakuya said with a stern voice cutting her off, "Kisumoto-San is filling the position that was recently reopened."

"Hah?!" Akane questioned in disbelief, "Wait, you don't mean… My personal attendant? Oh…" A malicious smile appeared on Akane's face as she glanced back at Hajime, "How the tables have turned." Akane whispered to herself as she turned her attention back to the food.

"Nii-Sama, are you sure this is the right thing to do? Akane will just end up messing around with her." Rukia whispered to her elder brother.

However, Byakuya simply ignored her, "Kisumoto-San, a glass of tea, please?"

"Yes, I'm sorry." Hajime poured tea for Byakuya and as she pulled her fingers away, Byakuya narrowed his eyes at the sight of a Band-Aid on her finger. Hajime was about to head over to Akane, when Byakuya put up a hand to stop her, "Kuchiki-Sama?"

"Akane is not one to indulge in tea, a glass of wine for her." Byakuya explained.

"My, you know my tastes well, don't you, _honey_?" Akane said as she smiled at her husband.

The same male worker from earlier came to Hajime's rescue with a bottle of red wine to pour for Akane. The two excused themselves and returned to the kitchen. Hajime felt like she was about to lose her mind and she was panicking, "Ne, is the dinner always that intense?"

"Not at all, I guess it's because of you, haha. I heard about you, Kisumoto Hajime, you made quite an impression on your first meeting with Akane-Sama. She despises you I heard."

"I guess she told everyone about that encounter, huh?"

"Haha, when she came home that day, she was furious, kept talking about a piece of trash that talked back to her. We later found out that that person was you, Hajime. Be careful with Akane, since you took the job of being her personal attendant, I'd watch my back if I were you."

"I see. Thank you, uh… Sorry, I don't seem to know your name."

"You can just call me Yuuki."

"Right, well thank you for today Yuuki."

* * *

After dinner finished, and everything was cleaned, Hajime reported to Akane's room to start her actual job of waiting on Akane hand and foot.

"Akane-Sama, Is there anything I can get you before you head to bed?" Hajime asked as she bowed to Akane.

"Be a dear and fetch me a warm glass of milk, as well as some sweets, I need some sugar before heading to bed."

"Yes, of course." Hajime bowed again and went to the pantry to gather the things that Akane asked for.

Taking a sip of the milk and eating her brownie, Akane told Hajime to fetch her nightgown in the closet. There were three in there, "Which one would you like, Akane-Sama?"

"Hmm… Let's do the pink one today. Hurry it up, it won't go on by itself."

"Eh?" Hajime asked in confusion as she looked at Akane.

Akane stood up, and lifted her arms out, "Put it on me." She said.

Hajime gave a small sigh, and smiled, "Of course."

After her first encounter of dressing someone and finally getting the gown on, Akane still didn't go to bed. She continued to ask Hajime for trivial things for over an hour and when she finally took the time to lie down in her own bed, she repeatedly told Hajime to fluff her pillows for her and give her neck messages. The clock in Akane's room rung indicating that it was midnight and she finally let Hajime leave her room after 2 and a half hours.

Carefully closing the door, Hajime laid her head against the door and gave a sigh, "She's crazy." She whispered to herself.

Hajime felt exhausted but she didn't want to go to bed just yet, so she decided to explore the manor a bit more. Hajime made her way to the gardens and the dew on the flowers sparkled as they reflected off the light of the moon. The rushing of the waters in the fountains sounded like symphonies and they created a sense of harmony and peace. The garden was a beautiful escape and Hajime took a seat on a bench to admire the stars above.

"Kisumoto-San?" A gentle voice spoke from behind and as she turned to look at who it was, she was greeted with a gentle smile.

"Kuchiki-Sama, what are you doing out here so late?"

"I should be asking you that, Kisumoto-San. May I?" Byakuya asked as he wished to sit on the bench beside her. Hajime slid over and gave a small smile.

"So, how was your first day?"

"It was… different, to say the least."

"And your finger?" Byakuya asked as he examined the Band-Aid on Hajime's finger.

"Ah, I accidentally cut myself as I was helping with the vegetables, I'll be more careful next time."

"Don't push yourself too hard, Kisumoto-San. Your health and safety should be your first priority. I'm glad it wasn't something more serious, though. For an artist, your fingers are more valuable than your life, no?"

"Hehe, you have no idea. Though, I haven't really drawn much since being sent here to Soul Society."

"Then…" Byakuya lifted up Hajime's hand, removed her bandaged and performed healing kido, the small cut quickly healed and Hajime's finger was back to normal.

"Oh…"

"For all your hard work today." Byakuya stated in his usual tone, "And maybe, you'll get back to drawing again." Byakuya took out a piece of paper from his pocket and showed it to Hajime: it was the sketch she drew of him a while back. "You did this in mere minutes. I wonder what types of masterpieces you create when you actually take the time to indulge in your talent."

"You kept that?"

"Of course, it was a gift."

Hajime couldn't help but give a small smile and turn her attention back to the stars, "It's more beautiful looking at the stars with others, don't you think?"

Byakuya looked at the stars, and Hajime was right, the stars shone brighter today. He turned his attention back to Hajime and her white hair shone brightly as the light of the moon reflected off of it. Her silver eyes mimicked the stars and he was mesmerized by her innocence and purity, "Yes, it seems you're correct."

* * *

The next day, it was time for the special accelerated class to get their Asauchis. Thanks to Byakuya's help, Hajime was able to put in the deposit on time and reserve an Asauchi for herself today.

"Alright everyone, I will be calling you one by one to come up and grab your Asauchi. Remember, do not ever leave your Asauchi's side, it is necessary for the two of you to be together at all possible times in order to guide its way into becoming a Zanpakuto."

Gengoro called up his excited students one by one, as each student held onto their Asauchi; they were all full of wonder and enthusiasm as they were excited to finally start their journey onto becoming a Shinigami.

As the students returned to their seats, they started whispering to one another and on occasion, they would look over to Hajime.

Noticing the odd atmosphere, Hajime looked over to Kisume and asked, "Ne, Kisume, did I do something wrong? I feel like everyone is looking at me…"

"Ah, well you see…" Kisume whispered, "Rumors are spreading that you're staying at Kuchiki Manor and that you're trying to use Kuchiki Taichou for his money."

"What?!" Hajime whispered loudly, "How can they think that?"

"Well, it's either that or you're trying to steal him from his wife, Akane."

"That isn't true either, I would never try to cross Akane, I would lose my head if I did and I would never come between a married couple. What do they think? That I'm some type of-"

"Home wrecker?" Kisume stated.

Before Hajime could speak, Gengoro proceeded to speak about today's assignment, "Okay class, we are going to have a special training class today. A surprise awaits all of you in the Outdoor Training Grounds so let's all head there now."

As all the students gathered their things and made their way to the Outside Training Grounds, various Captains and Vice Captains greeted them. The students were completely in awe and were extremely enthusiastic for today's lesson.

"Okay, settle down now. We were fortunate enough to have Kuchiki Taichou, Unohana Taichou, Hitsugaya Taichou, Hisagi Fukutaichou, Hinamori Fukutaichou, and Kira Fukutaichou here with us today. I will separate you all into six groups and we will begin from there."

Gengoro assigned each student their group number; Hajime got number four, meaning she's in Byakuya's group.

"Good to have you as a part of the group, Kisumoto-San." Byakuya greeted.

"Yes, thank you, Kuchiki Taichou." Hajime stated with a smile as all eyes were currently on her.

As the students finally gathered into their groups, today's training was about to commence.

"Alright students, listen up!" Gengoro raised his voice to allow the groups that were spread out to hear his voice, "You all will be exterminating hollow today with your newly acquired Asauchi. Each Taichou and Fukutaichou has received orders to only intervene if they sense your life is in danger. Now remember, you are the advanced class so it won't be some low level hollow you're fighting, I suspect you'll be up for a challenge. Your group leaders will also be grading you of their own accord so be wary of effort. Okay, leaders, time to set up the barriers and we'll begin when you're all ready."

At Gengoro's command, the six group leaders placed barriers to separate each section of the large outdoor field.

"Everyone, are you all prepared?" Byakuya asked as he scanned the faces of his eager students, "Then, let's begin." From his pocket, Byakuya grabbed a small blue tablet and crushed it between his fingers, which resulted in a garganta opening up in the middle of their field. Six Adjuchas level hollows stepped out of the garganta and their roars were completely ear shattering. The Adjuchas focused their attention on the students and their smiles were full of malice.

"Hey, looks like we're training with Shinigami again." One of the Adjuchas spoke.

"Che, they think they can just summon us whenever they please? It looks like we have to teach them a lesson." An Adjuchas with purple skin spoke as he scanned the students.

"There's six of them and six of us, why don't we each call dibs on one." Another spoke.

"Then, I call her." The purple skinned Adjuchas pointed to Hajime while grinning intensely.

Hajime faced the Adjuchas with a look of bravery as she tried to convince herself that it was possible to win against her opponent.

_This is troublesome, _Byakuya thought to himself, _of all the Adjuchas gathered, that purple skinned one is the strongest amongst them all. Will you be all right, Kisumoto-San?_

"Then, let's split up and teach these Shinigami-to-be's how it's done." The Adjuchas immediately lunged toward the opponent of their choice and each student blocked just in time with their Asauchis.

"Hoh, you're reiatsu is pretty impressive." The purple skinned opponent stated as he took a step back from Hajime. "What's your name?"

Hajime stayed silent.

"Not gong to talk? Well then, why don't I start? I'm Sholto. And _you _are?"

"Hajime." Hajime stated as she looked at her opponent with icy eyes.

"Hajime, huh? What a fine name to add to the list."

"List?"

"Of people I'm going to kill. You see, once I finish you off," Sholto looked over at Byakuya, "I'll kill that Kuchiki Taichou over there" he stated with a large giddy grin.

"If you want Kuchiki Taichou, you'll have to go through me."

Sholto simply gave a smirk and immediately disappeared from Hajime's line of sight. With his swift pace, Sholto prepared to land a kick on Hajime but was blocked by her katana.

"You may think you're strong," Sholto spoke as he, again, disappeared from sight, "But I'm stronger!" Sholto fired a cero at Hajime and she quickly grew flustered as she had no time to say a kido incantation, "Hadou 33: Sokatsui!"

After firing Sokatsui just in time, a large cloud of smoke appeared. Hajime used her recently acquired flash steps to get an advantage on the Adjuchas but he was already a step ahead of her. A large figure lunged at Hajime and she received multiple slashes on her arm.

"W-What was that?!" Hajime exclaimed as the smoke was starting to clear out. Sholto no longer had his human like appearance; instead he took on the form of a panther, his true form.

"Catch me if you can, Shinigami." Sholto was almost twice as fast now and he moved instantly to Hajime's position, she was barely able to block his sharp fangs with her Asauchi.

"No way, how can you get so much stronger." Hajime spoke as she was having difficulties pushing Sholto back. Using her flash steps, she tried to get out of her predicament but he continued to lunge at her and they continued to block one another's attacks. Hajime continued to swing her katana but she made no serious wounds on Sholto, it seems his fur is acting as a protective barrier and Hajime is unable to land a solid blow.

The two broke away from each other and paused as they both landed back on the ground.

_Che, how am I going to beat him? If my katana won't work, kido is the only way? _As Hajime was lost in her thoughts, Sholto prepared another cero to fire, this time; the cero was at least three times as bigger as before.

With her classmates battling on both sides of her, Hajime's area of movement was drastically cut down, there was no time, Sholto fired the cero and it was quickly heading towards her.

"Ahh, what was the spell again? Ah, Bakudo 44: Sekisho!" A wall quickly emerged in front of Hajime blocking the cero attack and as a result the wall broke from the intensity of the cero. Hajime let out a quick sigh.

_The spells are too weak without the incantation but he attacks too quick, I need to buy time, but how?!_

"Your reiatsu may be impressive but it's not even close to Captain-level. You can't keep relying on Kido without the incantation. I think you've lost this battle, Hajime. It's time to cross your name off the list." Sholto charged toward Hajime and managed to land an attack on her with his tail. Hajime was unable to move and her body felt heavy, the weight of her body had her kneeling before her opponent.

"This, what is this?"

"You noticed how my body was covered in a heavy material that your katana couldn't cut right? Truthfully, carrying this is heavier than it looks and I have to ability to transfer that power to my opponents, making their body feel almost three times heavier. Enjoy your last breath, Hajime." Releasing his claws, Sholto ran towards Hajime and prepared to deal the finishing blow.

Hajime desperately fought to move her index finger towards Sholto as she whispered an incantation to herself, "Scattered beast bones. Spire, Crimson Crystal, Steel Wheels. The sky-" However, before Hajime was able to finish the incantation, Byakuya appeared before her as if to shield her. He faced Sholto and Sholto stopped in his tracks as a large grin was plastered on his face.

"Kisumoto-San, you've done well. I'll deal with-"

"Hadou 63: Raikouhou!" A bolt of yellow lighting zoomed past Byakuya and pierced him in his forehead, purifying him. Byakuya's eyes widened in surprise.

"Kuchiki Taichou, you only had that much faith in me?" Hajime was about to collapse and Byakuya quickly caught her in his arms.

"Kisumoto-San," Byakuya gave a small smile, "My apologies."

The other students finished their battles not too long ago and as they looked upon Hajime and Byakuya, their eyes burned with jealousy and anger, as well as repulse.

"She probably did all that just so she could be in Kuchiki Taichou's arms." One of the students whispered.

"Then it's true, she's trying to steal Kuchiki Taichou from Akane-Sama."

And as if out of nowhere, Akane was watching from the sidelines.

"Akane-Sama, what an honor it is to have you here. Is there something I could help you with?" Gengoro asked.

"I heard my husband volunteered his time here today, I just came by to see him." She said with her fake smile.

"Ah, yes, he just finished his training session, he's in block 4." Gengoro pointed to the area where Byakuya and his group were located and Akane saw Hajime in Byakuya's arms. Her eyes were burning with anger and jealousy as she too heard of the rumors that were spreading about her and her husband.

"You little piece of rubbish. No wonder why I never liked you, you were trying to steal my husband from me. Well, you've made one big mistake: you agreed to become my personal attendant and I promise you, I will make your life a living hell." Akane spoke as she had on a spiteful smile.


	11. Rukia's Birthday

**[[ Another chapter for you lovelies, enjoy!**

**Please leave a review and let me know what you think! ]]**

* * *

In Akane's chambers, Sakura was summoned for a favor.

"You want me to _what_?!" Sakura asked in a tone of surprise.

"You heard me. You had loads of influence on your classmates back in the Academy and I want you to spread the word that Kisumoto Hajime is sleeping around to get to a higher status. I mean she's practically all over my husband when _I'm _the one that's paying her every week. I'm sure, coming from you, everyone will believe it in a heartbeat. Word is already spreading that she's trying to steal Byakuya-Sama from me."

"Aka-Nee, you know she wouldn't dare cross you like that."

"Of course I know but she's already ruined both mine and my husband's name. I'm just teaching her a lesson. She needs to step away from Byakuya-Sama and start working as my personal attendant. Now go, I understand your Kisume friend is also in the same class as her. Get the job done."

Sakura gave a small sigh, bowed at her sister, and left the room.

"I knew she was crazy, but she wants me to do _what_?! I can't do that, not to Hajime…"

"Do what, Sakura?" A sudden voice asked behind her.

Sakura jumped in surprise as she turned around to see Byakuya before her.

_Crap, of all people to overhear me…_

"Eh? Byakuya-Sama? What do you mean? Do what?" Sakura asked playing dumb.

"You said you couldn't do something to Kisumoto-San, are you in some sort of trouble?"

"Ah no, I just… needed some advice on something and I thought about asking Hajime but I know she's busy with the Academy and tending to Aka-Nee's needs so I thought I'd just leave her be." Sakura said with a smile, _Man, I really can't stand lying to Byakuya-Sama, it's like he can see right through me._

"Well, I'm sure Kisumoto-San would be pleased to help you. You are friends after all, isn't that what you do for each other?"

Now that hurt. What was Sakura supposed to do now?

"Actually, Byakuya-Sama, can I… ask you something?"

"Of course."

"If you fell in love with someone while married to Aka-Nee, would you go after them? Even if it means destroying your reputation, undoing the union, and having her go through such obstacles… Would you put your loved one through that? Or, would you push her away to not hurt her?"

"Where is this coming from so suddenly? Have you fallen in love with someone, Sakura?"

"No, I was… You and Akane, we both know you don't love her, and the same can be said for her. I was just wondering if you ever ended up falling in love with someone, what would you do?" Sakura asked out of curiosity.

"Have you been speaking to Rukia? She said the same thing to me not too long ago. I'll tell you the same thing I told her, love is not a luxury I can afford Sakura. My fate has already been decided and that is with your sister. Yes, we do have our differences at times but there are times where we… tolerate one another." It sounded as if the words were being forced from his mouth.

"Aka-Nee… wants me to spread a rumor about Hajime."

"What kind of rumor?"

Sakura hesitated.

"Sakura?" Byakuya's gentle voice nudged on.

"She wants me to say that Hajime's sleeping around to build herself up. Rumors have already spread that she's staying here because she's trying to steal you from Aka-Nee."

"Is that true? How ridiculous. Hajime is only here because she works as Akane's attendant to pay for her education. How did these rumors start?"

"Byakuya-Sama, there are many who look up to you and would love to be in Akane's shoes. If anyone even tries to get close to you, they will be targeted. As for Hajime, she's the target this time."

"I see. It seems I've done some damage then. That must have been why the other students were a bit offensive at yesterday's training session. Thank you for your honestly Sakura, I'll have a talk with both Hajime and Akane when I'm able to. Please, return home, you shouldn't stay here longer then necessary."

"Hai, thank you and I'm sorry." Sakura left the manor and headed back home while she thought about whether or not she did the right thing. All she knows is that she's going to get an earful from Akane later.

Byakuya decided to talk to Hajime first and when he reached her room, she wouldn't answer his calls from beyond the door.

"Kisumoto-San? Are you there?" He tried calling out one last time. There was no response so he decided it was time for him to leave but then the sudden creak of the door was heard.

"Ah, Kuchiki-Sama? Sorry, I fell asleep. Did you need something?" Hajime asked as she rubbed her eyes.

"Have you been studying?"

"Yes, I've been reading about zanjutsu and about connecting with our Zanpakuto's spirit. Yesterday's battle, I realized my zanjutsu skills weren't good enough. I thought I'd read up on some techniques before I tend to Akane-Sama."

"About Akane, there is something you must know." Byakuya told Hajime what he recently learned from Sakura and surprisingly; Hajime didn't look shocked at all.

"She's punishing me. You and I know already know about her distaste in me. Don't worry about me Kuchiki-Sama. I can handle her. Don't you remember the first time we met?"

Byakuya had on a small smile, as he remembered how Hajime spoke up to Akane in a way no one has ever attempted to, "That may be true but remember, she is paying you for your work as her attendant. Just be careful."

"Thank you, Kuchiki-Sama. I'll be careful. I should probably head to Akane's room, it's getting late, she'll probably need me to run some errands for her before she heads to bed." Hajime bids Byakuya goodbye and makes her way to Akane's room.

"Kisumoto-San." Byakuya called out to Hajime.

"Yes?" Hajime turned around to face Byakuya.

"When you finish your duties, will you make a stop to my room as well?"

"Eh?"

"I shall wait for you." Byakuya said as he left the hallway.

. . .

After six hours of tedious tasks, Akane finally decided it was time for her to sleep. Hajime was relieved of her duty at 3 in the morning. She was told by Byakuya to drop by his room but could he still be awake?

"I shall wait for you," His gentle voice popped up in her head as she started to smile unintentionally. "Ah, what am I doing? If he's still awake, maybe I'll bring him some tea then." Hajime prepared tea in the kitchen as some of the cooks were already up preparing for breakfast in a couple of hours.

Hajime finally made it to Byakuya's room and now that she thinks about it, it's her first time visiting since she's stayed here. She quietly knocked on the door, secretly hoping he was asleep as to not bother him but her hopes were crumbled when his voice told her to come inside.

"Kuchiki-Sama, don't you have an early morning tomorrow?" Hajime asked as she placed the tea on the table he was sitting at.

"I took a short nap earlier in the day so I am not too fatigued. Thank you for bringing me tea, you didn't have to."

_Liar, I can see the bags under your eyes, you've barely gotten any sleep. _"I'm still a maid." Hajime declared with a small smile, "It's no problem. So, did you need me for something?"

"I wanted to know how the Academy has been treating you."

"Eh?" _He asked to see me just to ask me how school's been going? He couldn't do that in the morning?_

"To be honest, I had Rukia divulge the truth about your past to me a while back. I am very sorry for everything you have gone through but I can tell you've grown into a very strong woman."

"Ah, yes, thank you. My mother's words, they gave me strength."

"I'm glad to hear that. You see, when I found out that rumors have been spreading around about your situation here, I grew worried that your classmates may look at you in a different light and start to target you."

_He stayed up late just to tell me he was worried about me?_

"Kuchiki-Sama…"

"If any problems arise, do know that I will do my best to defend you, Hajime." He spoke her name with such a gentle voice, her heart started to beat at a faster pace.

"Thank you, Kuchiki-Sama, for everything. I am really indebted to you."

"It's pretty late and you have class in a few hours, you should try to get some sleep. My apologies for keeping you up longer than needed tonight. Sleep well, Kisumoto-San."

"You too… Kuchiki-Sama." As Hajime left his room and closed the doors, she put her hand on her chest.

_No, you mustn't, not again. He's married and to Akane at that. You mustn't react, please! -_

The next day at school, Hajime's schedule started with zanjutsu training. Today's lesson also had a special guest and it was Hitsugaya Taichou. Being known as a prodigy and getting to Captain level at such a young age, everyone was excited to learn from him, including Hajime.

"Alright everyone, Hitsugaya Taichou is here today to assist in our zanjutsu training. He will observe all your skills and give you pointers if necessary. Do try your best, okay? Now, get into your pairs and we'll start with Shouta!"

…

It was finally time for Hajime to spar wither her partner; a brunette named Tomiko who was dubbed as the class' most popular girl. Tomiko was not only pretty but she was smart, strong, stubborn, and most of all, she has a bad attitude. She always gets what she wants, you can say she's like Dia; Hajime's old bully and as Dia's close doppelganger, what does that make Tomiko, you guessed it, a bully.

"Ready, start!" With the blow of a whistle, both girls took their fighting stance.

_Her stance is full of flaws, _Hitsugaya thought as he observed Hajime, _and she's too cocky, she'll never improve that way, _Hitsugaya commented as he looked at Tomiko.

The fight wasn't much of a match as Tomiko quickly overpowered Hajime, "And you want to be a part of the Gotei 13? Haha, how did you even get to the accelerated classes? Oh that's right, you're sleeping around, and what else did I hear, you're trying to seduce Kuchiki Taichou?" Hajime's eyes widened, _did Sakura actually spread the rumor? No… She couldn't have, if she was going to, there was no point in telling Kuchiki Taichou about it. _

The classmates were silent, as well as Gengoro and Hitsugaya, everyone was in shock and they didn't know how to respond.

"Gengoro-Sensei, she must have totally cheated to get here, we should have her re-do the tests." Tomiko declared.

"That is unnecessary." Hitsugaya spoke out, "One look at this girl and you can see that she has an impressive amount of reiatsu. Whatever the circumstances are, she was ruled to be in the accelerated class and it's already too late to transfer her out." Hitsugaya walked toward Hajime who was knocked against the floor thanks to Tomiko's aggressiveness and held out a hand to help her up.

"I can get up myself." Hajime said as she picked herself off the floor and grabbed a hold of her katana.

"How rude, Hitsugaya Taichou offered his help and you refused it like that? She's such rubbish." Tomiko spoke out once again.

"Tomiko, enough!" Gengoro spoke out, shutting her immediately.

The bell then rang, indicating that it was time for the students to head to their next class. As the students were leaving, Tomiko walked out while purposefully bumping into Hajime. Other students followed suit while other simply stared and whispered.

"You, what's your name?" Hitsugaya asked, as Hajime was about to leave.

"Hajime. Kisumoto Hajime."

"I see, Kisumoto, you may be lacking in zanjutsu but I took a look at your chart, and it was very impressive, especially the scores you received when we did outdoor training. Don't let them knock you down, you have the potential to become a captain yourself, I look forward to meeting you again after you graduate, Squad 10 would love to have you as a part of the group."

"Thank you for your kind words, Hitsugaya Taichou."

. . .

The day went on and it was time for lunch. Heading her way to the cafeteria, Hajime saw Kisume and sat next to him, however, he seemed to be ignoring her.

"Kisume, what's wrong?"

"Sorry Hajime, I can't be seen with you anymore."

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"My parents heard about the rumors, you know what everyone's calling you now? A prostitute. My parents would kill me if they find out I was friends with you."

"Kisume, you know me, you know that I've never done anything like that!"

"Even if that's true, no one would believe you. It's not enough for me to believe in you anymore. If we stay friends, I'm going to be a target too and I can't have that and my parents nagging. Sorry Hajime but I can't be seen with you anymore. Good luck with everything."

"Yeah, you too Kisume." Hajime said with a saddened tone as she bid goodbye to the only friend she had left.

Hajime now sat alone in the cafeteria and ate her lunch, _it's high school all over again._

"Yo, Hajime!" A familiar voice called out.

"Renji? What're you doing here?"

The red headed Fukutaichou sat with Hajime and picked at the fries on her tray, "Hey, if you want food get in line, these fries are one of the best things to eat here at the Academy."

"Haha, sorry. I forgot, never get between a woman and her food. So, what're you doing sitting here all by yourself, you sick or something?" Renji asked while picking at her fries once again.

"No," An anime like vein appeared on Hajime's forehead and she pushed her tray to the side, away from Renji, "I just thought I'd try to get some peace and quiet for once. Between Akane and school, I just need a breather." She lied, "So, what're you doing here?"

"I came to get your help with something, Rukia's birthday is on January 14th, and I need help getting a present for her. You two are friends, do you know what she'll like?"

"Something Chappy related?" Hajime answered quickly.

"Haha, that's right, she's obsessed with Chappy. You think you could come to the mall with me and help me pick out a few things? I thought the best person to shop for a girl would be a girl."

"Wait, you said the 14th, that's tomorrow!"

Renji scratched his head embarrassingly and gave a sly smile, "Haha, yeah, just a little of last minute shopping is what we need, huh? What do you say, Hajime, please?"

"You're lucky today's Friday, I have tons of homework piled up that I suppose I can finish during the weekend."

Renji had on a large grin, "Ah, you're the best Hajime! Then we'll meet at the Sixth Division Barracks when you get out of school, okay?"

"Okay, I'll see you soon."

* * *

Class has ended for the day and Hajime made her way to the Sixth Division Barracks as promised. Multiple Shinigami greeted her, while on her way to the common room to look for Renji. Hajime has been to the Sixth Division Barracks so many times; it was almost like a second home to her.

"Yo, Hajime! How was school?" Renji asked as they met up again.

"It was fine." Thinking back to the second half of class, with kido training and flash step training, her classmates still treated her like an outcast. They threw words like: prostitute, home wrecker, and cheater at her. However, she decided that it would be best not to tell anyone else about her experience.

"Okay, let's go."

. . .

Hajime and Renji made their way to Shinigami Mall (how original, I know), and saw that there were, surprisingly, quite a handful of stores that were dedicated to Chappy. There were Chappy plush toys, makeup, stationary, art supplies, and even cookware.

"I didn't know Chappy was such a popular figure." Hajime stated as she looked at the various stores with an overwhelmed look.

"Well, that'll make shopping for Rukia even easier, don't you think? Why don't we try going in here." Renji pointed to an arts and craft store that was decorated with Chappy merchandise.

"Rukia likes to draw?"

"Well, you can say, she likes to attempt to draw. Haha."

Hajime gave a smile and observed the various paints and canvases in the store. Despite everything being Chappy related, the quality of the products was actually pretty high-end. She admired the products as she always wanted to own them but her family, or rather, her father, never allowed her to spend money on such "selfish things."

"Hajime, what do you think about this?" Renji asked while he was holding onto a drawing pad that was Chappy shaped. Hajime didn't answer, she was too immersed in the art supplies. "Hajime?"

"Ah, sorry Renji." Hajime said with an embarrassed smile.

Renji looked at the art materials behind Hajime, "It seems the one that likes art is you, isn't it, Hajime? I can buy something for you if you want."

"No, it's okay, I just like looking and we're only here for Rukia, remember?"

"So what do you think about this drawing pad?"

"I think it's cute, maybe add these pencils too?" Hajime picked up a pack of colored pencils that were decorated with Chappy designs and it came with a soft pink pencil pouch with a large face of Chappy as well.

"Okay, sounds good. Let's get these and maybe something a bit nicer as well."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I think I'm going to confess to Rukia tomorrow. I wanted to get her something nice." Renji explained with a slightly flushed look.

"You mean, you didn't confess already?" Hajime asked with a smile, "Hehe, then let's go find a gift suitable for Rukia."

Hajime and Renji continued to roam around the mall for until they spotted a small jewelry store. On the display was a necklace with a sparkling snowflake pendant, it caught Hajime's eye quickly.

"Ne, Renji, what about this? It suits Rukia doesn't it? She's gentle and unique but she also possesses a sort of an icy air, similar to a snowflake don't you think?"

"You, Hajime, are brilliant. It's perfect."

Renji purchased the pendant and got it placed in a small blue box tied with a white ribbon. "Good luck tomorrow, Renji. I'll be rooting for you."

"Haha, thanks. I think I'll have to try to sneak her away from the party tomorrow and I'll give her the pendant."

"Party?" Hajime questioned, as she heard no news about a party in the manor.

"Yeah, every year, Kuchiki Taichou throws a party for Rukia. He usually gets everything done by himself so that's why you probably didn't hear of it."

"Ah, I see."

"Well, it's getting late, I don't want to keep you from your duties, I'll see you tomorrow!" Renji said as he shunpo-ed away.

* * *

The next day

Hajime was already up at five in the morning, to prepare the bath for Akane and help bathe her. After drying Akane, Hajime had to dress Akane, and she changed multiple times a day. Going through three different outfits, Akane decided to wear a lavender dress for today's party. As Hajime rolled up her sleeves to clean up the bathroom, Akane noticed the lavender ribbon Hajime had tied around her wrist.

"That ribbon," Akane spoke, "Give it to me."

Hajime stopped what she was doing and looked at Akane, dumbfounded, "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you."

"That ribbon," Akane walked closer to Hajime and untied the ribbon around Hajime's arm, "I'll be taking this today, it matches my outfit."

"Surely, I can go buy you one, just please, give that back to me."

"If you can just buy one, why do you need this?"

"I've had that ever since I was a child, my precious friend gave it to me before he died, please, I'll get you your own, just give it back to me!" Hajime lunged for her ribbon in Akane's hands and ended up splashing soapy water at her by accident.

"How dare you!" Akane scolded as she slapped Hajime across her cheek, "Now I suppose I'll keep this as well. Once you finish cleaning the bathroom, clean it again and then clean my room. By that time, it should be time for the party, you can show your face then." Akane glared at Hajime and left her room with a smirk.

"Che. Akashi…" Hajime threw the cleaning supplies on the floor and rubbed her wrist, she felt empty without the comfort of her ribbon.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Akane quickly returned her room and headed towards the bathroom with a slip of paper in her hands, "this week's pay." She said coldly as she threw the check at Hajime's feet and walked out once again.

Picking up the check, Hajime saw that she was only paid $20 for her services. "Just $20? I figured she would jip me off with my pay but if she pays me like this, I'll have to work under her forever." Then it hit her, "If I'm her slave forever, she really will make my life a living hell."

. . .

Given her orders of cleaning the bathroom, _twice_, and cleaning up Akane's bedroom, Hajime finally finished her chores just in time for Rukia's party to start.

"Hajime!" Rukia called out, "Where have you been? The party's just starting, I have a present for you!"

"Eh?" Rukia grabbed Hajime by her arm and took her to Rukia's room that was right down the hall.

"What do you mean you have a present for me?" Hajime questioned as Rukia was rummaging through her closet looking for something.

"It's _your _birthday Rukia, I-"

"Ah, found it!" Rukia exclaimed, cutting Hajime off.

From her closet, Rukia pulled out a pale blue dress with beautiful lace details.

"That's beautiful…" Hajime said as she admired the dress.

"I knew you'd like it, here, put it on."

"But something so pretty, shouldn't you wear it, it's your party."

"You've been here a while and the only clothes I ever see you in is the Academy uniform or the Manor uniform. Every girl deserves at least one nice dress in her closet. I saw it and thought of you, go, try it on!" Rukia threw the dress at Hajime and pushed her towards the bathroom.

Hajime walked out of the bathroom to see Rukia in a dress of her own. Rukia wore a nicely fitted yellow dress that flared out at her knees as well as white wedges.

"Whaa, I've never seen you like this before Rukia." Hajime commented at a frozen Rukia. "Rukia? Ah, is it this dress?" Hajime asked, feeling embarrassed and ashamed, "I knew I wasn't suited for such a nice dress, I'll go change out of it."

"No!" Rukia exclaimed as she grabbed onto Hajime's wrist, "You look really beautiful, you should dress up more often, Hajime. These types of clothes suit you well. Look." Rukia pulled Hajime closer to the full-length mirror and Hajime was surprised at her own appearance as well.

Hajime's dress was of a soft pale blue fabric with an overlay of lace details. Her dress possesses a short sleeve off the shoulder top, a fitted waist, and it flares out upon reaching the knees. "I- I don't even know what to say."

"I'm sure you'll be able to attract some eyes at the party." Rukia stated teasingly. "Let's go!"

The two girls quickly made their way to the banquet hall located in a separate building behind the Manor, where the party was starting to begin. As the guests laid eyes on Rukia, everyone yelled, "Happy birthday, Rukia!" in unison.

"Thank you!"

The banquet hall was full of Captains, Vice Captains, Rukia's friends from Squad 13, the Manor staff, and other nobles that Rukia was close with.

After a few hours of mingling, eating, dancing, and playing games, it was now time for Rukia to open her gifts. She was seated at the end of the room with a large pile of gifts behind her. The first gift she opened was from Byakuya, he gave her a purple flower hair clip with intricate designs and small crystals scattered about. One can tell how valuable the pin was and Rukia accepted it with a genuine smile as she placed it in her hair.

…

Finally reaching the last gift, the staff of the house proceeded to place the items in Rukia's room until further instruction and Renji decided it was finally time to make his move.

"Good luck Renji!" Hajime cheered on as he began to get nervous.

Clearing his throat, Renji made his way to Rukia, "R-Rukia, can we talk? In private?"

"Sure, let's go outside." Hajime observed the two friends leave the hall with a smile on her face, "Must be nice…" She whispered to herself.

"Kisumoto-San?" A familiar voice questioned from behind.

"Kuchiki-Sama." Hajime bowed.

"You look lovely today. It's nice to see you dressed in something different."

"Ah, yes… Rukia gifted this to me, I still feel a bit guilty wearing this though."

"You have no need to feel such feelings, that dress is best suited for you." Byakuya stated with his usual gentleness.

Hajime blushed a little and gave a smile.

"Oh, you are not wearing your ribbon today?"

"Eh?" Hajime quickly reached out for her wrist as she forgot about her ribbon.

"I've noticed that you wear it every day. It was quite special to you, wasn't it?"

"Yes, it was. I simply put it away for today, it didn't quite match my dress." Hajime explained with a small laugh.

"I see. Have you seen Rukia? I wanted to speak to her about something."

"She and Renji are having a conversation outside."

"Oh, is that so? I'll have to speak with Rukia at a later time I suppose." At this time, the band started to play a slow melody for the guests to dance to. Many pairs flocked to the dance floor and begun dancing to the melody, Hajime observed with a small smile.

Byakuya put out his hand in front of her and asked her if she wanted to dance.

"Kuchiki-Sama?"

"It would be an honor if you'd allow me this dance, Kisumoto-San."

"What about Akane? Shouldn't you be dancing with her? She's your wife."

The two turned to look at where Akane was and men, whom she was obviously flirting with, surrounded her, "As you can see, my wife already has the company she needs."

"I-I don't know how to dance. I would only embarrass you."

Byakuya took a hold of her hand, despite her protests, and told her, "All you have to do is follow my lead, I will guide you, Kisumoto-San."

She looked into his eyes, and her heart reacted. _No, please. You can't… Especially not with him. Please stop reacting!_

The two of them slowly begun their dance and just as they began, Hajime stepped on Byakuya's foot.

"Ah, Kuchiki-Sama, I'm so sorry!" She began to panic, "I told you, this wasn't a good idea."

"Kisumoto-San." He spoke softly, "Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do."

"Then simply follow my lead." The two started up again and this time, Hajime was doing much better, "See, you have already improved."

"Yeah, thanks to you."

The two exchanged smiles and finished with their dance.

. . .

Meanwhile, in the gardens, Rukia and Renji were sitting beside a fountain, talking.

"So, Rukia, I know you've already opened your present but… I still have one more present for you." Renji took out the small blue box from his pocket and handed it to Rukia.

"Renji, what is this?" Rukia untied the silky white ribbon and as she opened the box, her eyes widened in surprise.

The snowflake necklace glittered as it reflected the light of the moon and as Rukia picked it up and observed it under better lighting, its sparkles resembled that of the stars.

"This is beautiful… Renji, thank you." She said with a smile.

"Here, I'll help you put it on." Renji took the necklace from Rukia and stood behind her to put the necklace on. As he clasped the necklace around her neck, he lowered his head and whispered in her ear, "Rukia, I know I told you this before but I'm going to tell you again. I-I love you."

Rukia was in shock. She turned around to face Renji, and the light of the moon made Renji's crimson hair burn brighter today. "Renji…"

"I know I've made a ton of mistakes but the person I've always loved, was you. Now that the air has cleared with Hajime, will you let me protect you and love you, for the rest of our lives?"

"You fool." Rukia stood up and looked Renji directly in his eyes.

"Rukia, do you…"

Rukia kissed him.

As they broke away, they didn't share any words. They continued to gaze into each other's eyes.


	12. It's High School All Over Again

**[[ I'm on a roll! I'll probably whip up another chapter today as well.**

**Enjoy everyone! ]]**

* * *

About two weeks have passed since Rukia's birthday party.

"Kisumoto-San. May I have a word with you?" Gengoro asked.

"Yeah sure, is something wrong Gengoro-Sensei?"

"I just wanted to let you know about a change in your schedule. You're going to be in Kido 3 starting tomorrow. The professor tells me that you've been excelling well and as apparent in the outdoor training session we had, your kido skills are above average. Keep up the good work; you may graduate earlier than planned. Well, that is if you can master your zanjutsu classes. You seem to be having trouble."

"Ah, yes… I'm not quite familiar with fighting but I will definitely try my hardest. Thank you, Gengoro-Sensei." They bid each other goodbye and Hajime ran to Kuchiki Manor to report to Akane's side.

"Oh, it's you. I don't need you today. I'm meeting with my mother at our manor, so do whatever you want today. However, I do expect my room to be in tiptop shape when I return."

"Of course and Akane-Sama, my ribbon…"

"Your ribbon? Ah, that purple ribbon, I told you already, I'm keeping it for a while, I'll return it when I'm finished with it. Bye." As Akane was finally gone, Hajime tore the room apart to try and look for her ribbon but there was no sign of it anywhere.

"Where on earth did she put it?" Hajime agitatedly asked as she continued to look around the room.

After about two hours of looking through everything, Hajime gave up. Her ribbon was nowhere to be found in the room. She decided that since she's off duty today, she might as well take the time to study. However, as Hajime was making her way to her room, she heard the clashing sounds of metal nearby. Hajime approached the backyard and saw that Byakuya and Renji were sparring with one another.

The two of them fought with passion and seriousness, Hajime admired their strength from afar.

"Hajime?" Renji called out as he and Byakuya took a quick pause.

"Ah, sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt, I just overheard you guys."

"Have you finished all your duties today? Would you care to join us?" Byakuya asked.

"Me? No, I couldn't. My zanjutsu skills are below average, I'm still stuck in Zanjutsu 1."

"All the more reason to practice." Renji stated, "You won't learn how to fight by reading it from a book. Plus, the more you use your Asauchi, the quicker you'll be able to mold it into your Zanpakuto."

"That's true…"

"Then it's settled, go grab your katana and meet us out here!" Renji declared, already making the decision for her.

After returning with her katana, Byakuya decided to observe from the sidelines as Hajime and Renji spar together.

"Okay Hajime, how are your shunpo skills? Have you reached shunpo 6 yet?"

"Shunpo 6? You're kidding right? The only thing I'm confident about is Kido and I just recently got placed in Kido 3."

"Haha, what are you doing Hajime?" Renji teased.

"Hey! This stuff is completely new to me! I know nothing about fighting or anything."

"Alright alright, well let me ask you something, why do you choose to fight?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why do you choose to become a Shinigami?"

"You played me and made me join the Academy." Hajime said bluntly as an arrow pierced Renji's body.

Giving a small uncomfortable laugh, "Well, you chose to stay didn't you? Why?"

Hajime thought back to her years in the Rukongai; the people had horrible living conditions; many children were starving and resorted to thievery, and Hajime felt helpless in that situation. "I want to help people." Hajime also thought back to the hollow attack that Renji staged that almost killed the boy Hajime befriended, "And… I want to protect people who are powerless."

Renji gave a large smile in reply to her words. Byakuya also smiled softly to himself.

"Remember those words Hajime, they'll help you grow stronger." Renji stated as he pointed his katana at Hajime. "Okay, Hajime, let's work on your blocking and agility skills. I'm going to charge at you and attack you; I want you to block and dodge my attacks, got it?"

"Okay," Hajime prepared her stance and Byakuya and Renji both narrowed her eyes at her.

"No wonder you're stuck in zanjutsu 1, your stance is all wrong!" Renji yelled loudly from across the field. "Taichou, go help her why don't you?"

"Renji, you are her teacher today, aren't you?"

"Yeah but Taichou, you're closer."

Byakuya was silent for a moment and then used shunpo to appear behind Hajime. He positioned his hands softly over Hajime's and the sudden warmth surprised her. _So… warm…_

"Place both hands firmly on your swords hilt and position your blade at a 45 degree angle, like so." Byakuya helped Hajime correct her stance and as her sleeves revealed her wrist, he noticed something that caught his eye. _She's not wearing her ribbon again? Has she misplaced it?_

"Okay Kuchiki-Sama, I think I got it." Hajime stated as she noticed that Byakuya was holding onto her hands for a little longer than necessary.

He cleared his throat, "Yes, then your legs need to be spread out more, at least shoulder length apart, and place your dominant leg forward, almost aligned with your katana."

Hajime followed Byakuya's instructions perfectly, "There, do you feel more comfortable? Your previous stance put too much pressure on your upper body."

"Ah, yes, it feels much better, thank you!" Byakuya nodded his head and returned to his previous position.

Observing the scene, Renji gave a smirk, _those two… _

"Okay Hajime, are you ready?!"

"Yes!"

Renji was quick, he lunged at Hajime in a blink of an eye but Hajime was able to deflect the attack with her katana just in time. Renji then fell back and used shunpo to attack from their air. Hajime managed to duck and the force of Renji's attack, caused sand to kick itself into the air.

_Whoa,_ Hajime thought, _Good thing I dodged that._

"You're losing focus!" Renji yelled as he appeared from the side and landed a kick on Hajime. She used shunpo to secure her landing. "Never get distracted in battle, Hajime! That's how you seal your fate!"

_Renji's tone is different… He's fighting me for real…_

"Kisumoto-San, if you do not fight with your full power, you are not giving your opponent the respect of fighting you." Byakuya remarked.

"I-I understand." Hajime took her stance once again and the two men were able to see a slight change in her demeanor.

_Good,_ Byakuya thought as he observed Hajime.

Renji lunged at Hajime once more, swinging his katana around, Hajime was able to dodge with Shunpo but then he suddenly swung down, there was no time to dodge or block. "Bakudo 8: Seki!" A small blue shield appeared on Hajime's forearm and Renji was repelled backward. However, Byakuya then quickly lunged at Hajime and as she blocked with her katana she was being dragged back.

"Kuchiki-Sama?"

"Hajime, tag out!" Renji yelled.

"Eh?" Hajime looked into Byakuya's eyes and started to feel nervous. _Kuchiki-Sama is on an entirely different level._

Byakuya continued to attack Hajime who barely managed to dodge and block all his continuous strikes.

This continued for three hours with Hajime fighting Byakuya and Renji as they switched mid-attack. By the time they finished training, Hajime was breathing heavily on the floor.

Byakuya and Renji walked toward her and they both held out a hand to help her up.

"You've done well today Kisumoto-San."

"I'm sure you'll move up to zanjutsu 2 in no time!" Renji stated.

"Thanks to you two, I learned more than I would've by reading about the techniques in our textbook. Ne, this may be selfish of me to ask, but do you think we can do this more often? Training…"

There was no hesitation in their voices whatsoever, "Of course." They responded in unison. Hajime had on a large smile and thanked them both.

* * *

The next day in class, Hajime started her first day in Kido 3. She was nervous since she didn't know anyone and she's pretty sure the rumors about her have already spread to the upperclassmen. She took a deep breath and walked into the classroom that quickly turned silent and stared at her.

"Ah, she's here. Everyone! This is the new student we have joining us in Kido 3." The young male professor announced.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Kisumoto Hajime." Hajime stated as she gave a soft bow.

"Wow, she's like a doll." One girl whispered.

"She looks fragile, she wants to be a Shinigami? Can she fight?" Another classmate whispered.

"Kisumoto-San, go find a seat, we're going to start our lecture soon."

Hajime walked up the stairs and headed toward the empty seat in the back, as she walked to her seat, her classmates continued to whisper about her.

"Ne, isn't that the girl staying with Kuchiki Taichou?"

"No way, the one trying to steal him from Akane-Sama?"

"I heard she's been sleeping around to get money."

"Then, she's a prostitute? We should probably stay away from her."

The whispers resembled the same tone as Hajime finally reached her seat next to a girl with short black hair and glasses.

"Hi, I'm-"

"Don't talk to me." The girl said coldly as she got up from her seat and sat farther away from Hajime.

Hajime looked at her classmates beside her and they all avoided eye contact with her. She gave a sigh, _was this really the right thing?_

"Okay class, we're going to do a pop quiz today. Let's all head to the Kido Training Field.

…

"Okay, these quizzes are simple. I will give you either a Bakudo or Hado Number and you'll say the chant and perform the kido spell on the dummy. I'll be giving you three in a row. This is to test your memory and your speed. Let's start."

There were only 17 students in the class and they were fairly strong, they managed to get all their spells done quickly and efficiently.

"Okay, Kisumoto-San. You'll have Hadou 31, Hadou 63, and Bakudo 61."

"Hai! O Lord, Mask of blood and flash, all creation, flutter wings, you who bears the name of Man, Inferno and Pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, March on to the south! Hadou 31: Shakkaho!" A large red ball of energy fired its way to the dummy and obliterated it; Hajime's classmates were surprised at her strength.

"Scatted beast bones! Spire, Crimson Crystal, Steel Wheels! The wind if it moves, the sky if it stops, the tone of the spear striking fills the lone castle! Hadou 63: Raikouhou!" Yellow lighting gathered at Hajime's fingertips and bolted towards the target. The power wasn't as strong her Shakkaho but her target did receive a large gaping hole in its chest.

_Now what was Bakudo 61 again? Ah! _"You who is crowned with the name of Man, wearing a Mask of blood and flesh, flying on ten thousand fluttering wings, with Thunder's carriage and an empty Spinning Wheel, break the Light into six pieces, carve a twin Lotus on a wall of Pale Blue Flames, and await the Blazing Fires to reach the Distant Heavens! Bakudo 61: Rikujokoro!" Six thin beams of light gathered at the dummy's midsection.

"Pass! Nice job on your first test, Kisumoto-San."

"Thank you Sensei."

"The Sensei should be careful, she'll probably try to sleep with him too." A classmate whispered.

Hajime clenched her fist, "Yah! If you have a problem with me, you should say something to _me_!" she lashed out.

All the students were looking at her and even the Professor was too.

"Sensei!" The girl called out, "Kisumoto-San is yelling at me, I didn't even do anything to her."

"What?" Hajime questioned in shock.

"Kisumoto-San, is there a problem? This is your first day here; I would hate to write any bad marks on your record.

"No, sorry Sensei, it won't happen again." Hajime held her head down in shame.

. . .

Once lunchtime hit, Hajime sat alone again. She tried to ignore the taunts around her but she felt ashamed, the rumors that are spreading are not only about her but also about someone she grew to respect and admire. She's tarnishing his name just by staying with him and it's all because of Akane.

Hajime gave a long sigh and tried to finish her lunch when Tomiko appeared behind her with a large container of fruit punch. Before Hajime was even able to realize it, Tomiko dumped the juice on Hajime and her white hair turned a red-violet color. Her clothes were soaking wet and everyone in the cafeteria laughed at her.

"That's what you get for messing around with Akane-Sama, you whore." Tomiko spoke coldly as she threw the container at Hajime who was still sitting at her seat. "Ne, everyone, Hajime-Chan here said she'll take all your leftover from you!" At those words, a fellow student threw his applesauce at Hajime, hitting her directly in the back of the head. Other students quickly followed suit throwing food at her until her hair, and her uniform, was drenched in different substances of food and drinks. No one stopped the students and as the bell rang indicating the end of lunch, the students left with their roaring laughs.

_I was wrong… _Hajime thought, _this is definitely worse than high school._

"Student…" One of the lunch lady's spoke as she tried to get Hajime's attention.

However, Hajime simply stood up, looked at the lunch lady with her tear-filled eyes and made her way back to Kuchiki Manor.

At the Manor, Akane's mother Minako was visiting, and as the two of them, and Byakuya were taking a walk through the Manor halls, they bumped into Hajime.

"Kisumoto…San?" Byakuya questioned as he saw her soiled appearance.

Akane looked at her with a pleasing smirk.

"Akane, who is this woman? And why does she look like this?"

"This is the girl I told you about, the one who dared to talk back to me."

"Oh? I see, then it seems karma came back around to bite her."

"Kisumoto-San, what happened?" Byakuya asked worriedly.

Hajime simply bowed and apologized for her appearance and walked away.

"My, she's quite a rude one." Minako commented, "Come Akane, let's eat lunch in the garden. Are you joining us today, Byakuya?"

"My apologies mother-in-law, I actually have some paperwork I must tend to. Shall I have Mikasa prepare a room for you tonight?"

"That won't be necessary, I'll be staying in Akane's room."

"Of course, then, if you'd excuse me." Byakuya bid goodbye to his wife and mother-in-law and went after Hajime.

"Kisumoto-San?" He called out as he knocked on her door.

"Kuchiki-Sama, please, I'd like to be alone now."

"Kisu-"

"Nii-Sama? Is something wrong?" Rukia, who just returned from a mission, asked as she observed Byakuya.

"Rukia, you've returned?"

"Yes, is something wrong? Did something happen?"

"I'm not sure, Kisumoto-San is home from her classes early today and she appears to have been assaulted."

"Assaulted?" Rukia asked in shock. She tried knocking on the door to get Hajime's attention and Hajime opened the door slightly to quickly pull Rukia into the room with her.

After catching her footing, Rukia looked at Hajime. She was a complete mess and her eyes were puffy. _She's been crying._

"Hajime, what's going on?"

"Rukia? Kisumoto-San?" Byakuya called from beyond the door.

"Nii-Sama." Rukia spoke as she poked her head out from the door, "I'll take care of things here and report to you afterward." She whispered.

"I understand, I'll leave it to you Rukia." Rukia gave a smile, closed the door, and sat on the bed beside Hajime.

"So? What happened?"

Hajime told Rukia about what's been happening at school and how she's now the target of bullying again. It's been happening for a few weeks already and she thought she could handle it but the rumors are interfering with her performance at school and she fears that she's tarnishing Byakuya's name. However, Hajime left out that Akane was the one behind the rumors.

"Hajime, why didn't you tell anyone?"

"I didn't want to drag you all into it, it'll only make things worse." Hajime wasn't able to look Rukia in her eyes; she looked like a child who was getting scolded by her parent.

"Let's get you cleaned up Hajime, at this rate, your hair's gonna turn into a different color."

Rukia escorted Hajime to the bathroom where she was able to cleanse herself of all the food particles. Her hair remained stained of blues, red, and pinks, from the colored fruit juice the students poured on her but she didn't complain. She put on her maid uniform and thanked Rukia for the talk.

"I have to go tend to Akane now, thank you for everything today Rukia."

"I'll always have your back, Hajime."

. . .

"For a personal attendant, you sure are late." Minako stated as she looked at Hajime with a disapproving look.

"My apologies." Hajime bowed.

"You, do you even know who I am?" Minako questioned in a superior tone as she walked closer to Hajime. Hajime wasn't even given the chance to speak as Minako was already in her face, "I'm Toujiro Minako, Akane's mother. Byakuya's mother-in-law, and the head of the Toujiro house."

"Yes, I apologize for being late to such an esteemed guest." Hajime bowed again.

"So, it seems one of my followers have fulfilled her job at turning the students against you." Akane remarked with a smirk as she sat next to her mother.

"Why are you doing this?" Hajime asked, looking Akane in the eyes.

"Why? Well, because you deserve to be punished." She explained casually with a laugh, "You took on this job knowing fully well that you would be serving under me, and since I'm in charge of your pay, I can make it so that you're here for the rest of your life as you try to pay off your school loans. Byakuya-Sama may be your sponsor but he has a limit on the things he can pay for. So, instead of sticking by _my _husband's side, you should focus more on being my personal attendant."

Hajime stayed silent.

"First things first, my mother and I are thirsty. Fetch us some tea." Hajime did as told and went to the kitchen to brew tea for the two ladies.

"Snacks as well. Mother, what would you like?"

"Does she know how to make steamed buns?"

"You heard my mother, steamed buns."

"I-I…" Hajime thought about her next words carefully, she decided against telling them that she doesn't know how to make steamed buns, she'll just have to look at a cookbook in the kitchen. "I understand."

Rummaging through the piles of cookbooks, Hajime finally found the book containing a recipe for steamed buns. It took about an hour to cook so in the meantime, Hajime prepared small treats for the ladies to munch on. "The steamed buns will be ready shortly, is there anything else I can do for the both of you?"

"How about a leg massage." Minako asked, or rather demanded as she stretched out her leg to Hajime.

"Of course." After about thirty minutes of massaging, and getting cramped hands, the steamed buns were finally ready.

Minako took a bite out of it and immediately spit it out, "These are horrendous, remake them."

"Eh?" Hajime followed the recipe exactly and there were no more fresh herbs in the fridge at this time of night.

"Did I stutter?"

"No. I will prepare a new batch right away." Hajime ran to the kitchen again and found a different recipe for steamed buns that took even longer to prepare.

After hours of going back and forth to different rooms in the manor, Akane and Minako finally decided it was time for them to go to bed.

"Ah, I'll need you all day tomorrow. We have important guests arriving and I don't have time to wait for you to return from class. Understood?"

"Y-Yes. Understood. Goodnight Akane-Sama, Toujiro-Sama."

Hajime took all the trays and plates to the kitchen and washed them for the kitchen staff. She was starving so she snuck a carton of ice cream out from the freezer. Her hands were cramping from the massages she performed so she ended up dropping the spoon on the floor. As she tried to pick it up, someone else beat her to it.

"Kuchiki-Sama…"

"Another long night, Kisumoto-San?"

"Since Akane's mother is here, I wanted to make her comfortable as well."

"You really a hard worker."

Hajime gave a small smile as she closed the lid to the ice cream and tried to walk away from Byakuya.

"Rukia informed me about what happened today."

"Oh? Did she?"_ Note to self: if you don't want Kuchiki-Sama to know anything, DON'T tell Rukia._

"Kisumoto-San…" Byakuya got up and approached her. Hajime didn't want to face him so she put her ice cream away and walked to the other end of the room.

"Kuchiki-Sama, I don't want to get you involved."

"Has Akane been giving you a hard time?"

"No, of course not."

"You will not be judged if you choose to quit."

Hajime's eyes widened, "Quit?"

"You do have that option, Kisumoto-San." He said gently with a hidden tone of sadness.

"If I quit… how will I pay the tuition? Your sponsorship covers everything else except for my academic classes and dorming. I can't quit, even if I wanted to."

"Then, how about I personally train you to accelerate your graduation date."

"Eh?"

"The more advanced you get, the quicker you will move up in your academic classes."

"And once I graduate and join a Squad, I won't have to stay here and I'll be able to make my own money!"

"I believe in you Kisumoto-San, you have the ability to move far. You are stronger than you think."

"Kuchiki-Sama, you really are the best."

"It's no problem. Unfortunately, it's late tonight and we have some guests arriving tomorrow so our training will be pushed back to the day after tomorrow, if that's okay with you."

"Ah, Akane mentioned that earlier. She said she needed me tomorrow, who are the guests?"

"Minako invited fortune tellers to come to the Manor, as well as fertility doctors."

"F-fertility doctors?"

"Yes, Akane and I will be celebrating five years of marriage in September and the Elders have been encouraging us to have a child."

"Y-You're going to have a child… with _her?_"

"It is my duty as the Head of the Kuchiki House."

_That's right… His life has already been planned out._

"How sad…" Hajime accidentally spoke aloud.

Byakuya's eyes widened a little in surprise.

"Ah! I didn't mean to say that just now."

"It's alright. I know you meant no harm."

"Ne, Kuchiki-Sama, do you think you'll ever grow to love Akane?"

"I suppose the word that describes our relationship is that we tolerate one another. You remember at Rukia's party, how she was perfectly content in another man's company."

"So… you don't think Akane likes you?"

"I believe our feelings are mutual."

_You'd be surprised. She seems to like you but is just messing around because she knows you would never love her._

"Kuchiki-Sama… Thank you."

"Hm? Where is this coming from, Kisumoto-San?"

She gave a gentle, radiating smile, "Thank you for taking care of me and teaching me so many things. Also, thank you for believing in me."

_"_Of course." _What is this strange feeling stirring in my heart__? _Byakuya thought to himself as he looked at Hajime's warm smile.


	13. FortuneTellers, Chocolate, and White Day

**[[ This is more of a faster chapter.**

**I don't really like the way it was paced (or written, haha) but the details are necessary for future chapters. Bear with me guys. Anyway, enjoy! ]]**

* * *

With the fortuneteller and fertility doctors making their way to the Manor, Akane wanted everything to be perfect. She had Hajime wake up at 6 am to bathe and dress both her and her mother. Hajime helped the kitchen staff prepare breakfast for the family and she was in charge of cleaning the room that the reading is going to be done in.

There were a few hours before the arrival of the guests and so Hajime thought it was a good time for her to get some studying in. Before she knew it, two hours have already passed and she was called back to Akane's side.

"Listen, once we get our readings, the fertility doctors will examine me to see if it's a good time for me to bear children yet, you're going to assist them with whatever they need. These fortunetellers have been working with my family for generations and their readings are completely accurate. If they say I'm going to bear a child, I need you to make the invitations and send them out by the end of the day." Akane explained as Hajime was dressing her once again.

"You want me to make and send out over 200 invitations _today_?"

"Must I always repeat myself around you?"

"Akane, dear, the readers are here. We are all to gather in the room down the hall." Minako spoke as she entered the room.

"Coming, mother."

Even though it's a simple fortune telling, the process seemed like a royal tradition of some sort. Akane was wearing a decorated kimono with glitter and beads everywhere. Byakuya was also seen wearing a kimono that accentuates his noble features. As everyone gathered into the room, Byakuya and Akane sat in the middle of the room, facing the fortunetellers.

The four of them bowed to each other and the old woman facing Byakuya held out her hands. Byakuya placed his hands in hers and she released a large amount of reiatsu as her eyes turned silver.

"Ah, yes. Kuchiki-Sama, you have quite a future ahead of you."

"What do you see?" Akane asked curiously.

"The woman in your heart, it is wise to keep her close to you."

Akane smiled happily upon hearing this news, even Minako was excited, and she thought her feelings were finally returned.

"This woman, she is the key to your future; for both you _and _your family. I also see… troubles will arise within the years to come. You will face obstacles that you never dreamed of facing. It is best to keep a clear head when facing this matter."

"Do you see anything else? Perhaps a child in their future?" Minako urged.

"A child? Yes, a child is definitely conceived." The reader explained.

Akane and Minako were overjoyed but Byakuya remained straight-faced as usual.

_A child…? _Hajime gave a small sigh.

"However," The woman's voice suddenly lowered, "someone close to you will fall ill, unfortunately I am unable to make out who." The woman's reiatsu slowly faded and she released Byakuya's hands, "That was I was able to read in your future, Kuchiki-Sama."

"Yes, thank you." He spoke politely.

"Then, Akane-Sama." The other woman spoke as she held out her hands and held tightly onto Akane's.

"Ah yes, as Youko has stated, a healthy child is born. Congratulations. I also see that you hold anger towards somebody, anger and resentment. This person you've directed such negative feelings toward, I caution you to be wary of them, for they may turn your world upside down."

"What do you mean?" Akane asked, completely absorbed into her reading.

"The details are unclear but they may be the cause of your downfall. I also see trouble for you in the years to come, if you do not stay calm and patient, your troubles will overtake you." The old woman's reiatsu died down and she released Akane's hands as well.

"The two of you are going to be parents, I'm sure that is what you both wanted to hear today. Congratulations. I believe there are doctor's here to examine Akane-Sama's health. We shall leave the room and let the doctor's do their job.

The two fortunetellers, Byakuya, and Tanaka left the room as the doctor and a nurse went into the room to examine Akane.

As Byakuya was about to head back to his study, the two fortunetellers stopped him.

"Kuchiki-Sama, there is something you must know about your fortune. They were not about Akane-Sama, the woman in your heart, the woman you will grow to love; she is the subject of my reading."

"I do not understand. You spoke of a child, are you saying I am going to have a child with another woman?"

"Unfortunately that part is unclear."

"Though, it may have been with Akane-Sama." The other fortuneteller added, "In Akane-Sama's fortune, a child will also be present. That may be the only fortune linking the two of you."

"This other woman then, the one you claim to be in my heart, who is it?"

"Only you know the answer to that Kuchiki-Sama. However, I'm sure we both know that that woman is not Akane."

"I see. As for the child, do you know when he or she will be conceived?"

"My reading indicated that the child would be conceived near the end of the year."

"As did mine." The other fortuneteller read.

Byakuya thanked the two ladies for their time and walked to his study to finish his paperwork, _a woman that resides deep in my heart? _At that moment, an image of Hajime smiling appeared in his mind. He shook it off and went back to work.

Meanwhile, as Akane's getting her checkup, Hajime thought back to what the fortunetellers said earlier. _Why… do I feel like I was just punched in the gut? He's married, so of course he and his wife are going to have a child. I can't possibly have feelings for Kuchiki-Sama, can I? No, I can't. I will only cause him more harm._

"Hello! Helloo! Oi, Filth!" Akane yelled out as Hajime was deep in thought, "Did you hear what the doctors said? I'm in perfect health and am able to conceive a child, so get to it, go make the invitations and mail them out. Our ball is going to be held in September and we have tons of things to prepare."

"Yes, of course Akane-Sama, I will tend to the invitations immediately." Hajime gave a slight bow and left the room to do as Akane ordered. However, on her way back to her room, she saw a maid walk by with a familiar object in hand.

"Ah, wait just a minute!" Hajime called out as she shuffled through the fabric in the maids' hands. Pulling out a soft lavender ribbon, Hajime was relieved to finally have the item back in her hands but it was soon stripped away as the maid forcefully yanked the ribbon out of Hajime's hands and tucked it into her pocket.

"This is Akane-Sama's most precious item, only those certified is able to touch this item. Though you may be Akane-Sama's personal attendant, she has not given you permission to tend to her laundry, I suggest you make way to your duties."

"You don't understand, that ribbon is mine! Please, I must have it back, it means the world to me, and it's all I have left of my best friend. Please!"

"What is all the commotion?!" Akane yelled out as she stormed out of the room. Making eye contact with the maid, she noticed the purple fabric poking out through her pocket, "I told you to get rid of it, what is it still doing here? Go, now!" The maid gave a quick bow and rushed away from the scene. "You, didn't I give you a job to do? Why are you getting distracted?"

"Akane-Sama, that ribbon…"

"I told you, you'd get it back, once I'm finished with it. Also… you heard my reading correct? The person I hold anger towards will be the cause of my downfall… That person is you, isn't it? You're already trying to steal my husband away from me; you're going to take my title too? I'll be watching you even more closely, Kisumoto Hajime. Now get to work!"

Hajime clenched her fists in anger and stormed away to her room. She had no choice to comply to Akane's demands if she wants to graduate from the Academy so after almost six hours of designing multiple templates for the invitations to the ball, Hajime was able to mail them out to the guests and get some rest.

* * *

As Hajime returned to school the next day, she was greeted by ridicule and received glares from all angles. Making her way to her seat in Kido 3, her desk was full of marking that read: "home wrecker", "loser", "cheater", and other cruel phrases. Hajime tried to not let it get to her and concentrated on the classwork. Throughout the day, Hajime barely spoke a word and received every bit of hatred thrown towards her. By the time she returned to the manor, Byakuya suggested the two of them train in the backyard for he had some spare time.

"Thank you for fitting me into your schedule, Kuchiki-Sama."

"Of course, I made a promise to you didn't I, Kisumoto-San? Then, shall we begin?"

Hajime and Byakuya managed to spar with one another for about two hours and even though Hajime was able to grasp onto the basics of zanjutsu, she was no match for the pressure Byakuya put her under. When they fought against one another, they spoke no words and Hajime knew Byakuya was fighting with seriousness but she was barely able to keep up with his swiftness.

As they finished sparring with one another, Hajime was completely exhausted, and Byakuya still appeared to be in good condition as he was standing with his usual poise.

"Kuchiki-Sama… you're… so… strong!" Hajime declared between her breaths.

"Practice and patience are the key, you will go to your desired level as well, just don't stop fighting Kisumoto-San."

"Byakuya-Sama!"

"Oi, Kisumoto!" Both Tanaka and Akane called out to Byakuya and Hajime in unison as it was starting to get late in the day.

"I have some duties I must tend to, good night, Kisumoto-San." As Byakuya walked away, he looked toward Akane who looked at him with new eyes; they were full of hope and affection, Byakuya was caught slightly off guard and simply walked past her.

Disappointed, she turned her bad attitude over to Hajime and demanded that she go fetch some wine for her and her mother immediately.

Putting her Asauchi away, Hajime made her way to the kitchen and she noted an odd scene before her, the kitchen staff was outside of the kitchen and peering into the room through a tiny sliver that the door revealed. "Uh... Is something going on in the kitchen today?" Hajime asked in a soft whispered that sent a chill down the workers spine.

"Ah, Hajime! Don't scare us like that!" One of the workers yelled in a whisper.

"Sorry... But what's going on?"

"Look."

Hajime walked over and peered through the crack of the door and saw Rukia intently mixing a substance inside a bowl. "Rukia? What is she doing?" Hajime asked her co-workers, however, before they could answer, they heard Akane yell from down the hall, and the startled workers accidentally pushed Hajime through the room and she fell on the floor with a loud thud.

"Ah, that hurt." She said as she slowly got off the floor and made eye contact with Rukia.

"Hajime? What're you doing down there?"

"Ah, nothing!" She gave an embarrassed giggle, "what're you doing Rukia?" She looked at the contents of the bowl and saw the familiar sweet substance, "Are you making chocolate?"

"Yeah... Valentine's Day is coming up and I thought I'd make Renji some chocolate but..." Looking at the bowl in her hands, the chocolate was stiff and clumpy, a non-desirable texture for making chocolate.

"Oh, that's right... I forgot about Valentine's Day."

"Ne, Hajime, do you know how to make chocolate?"

"Eh? Ah... Yes, actually I do."

"Really?!" Rukia's attitude perked up, "let's make some together! You should give some chocolate to someone too!"

"Give chocolate to someone...?" Hajime searched through her mind for someone to give homemade chocolates to and an image of Byakuya popped up, causing her to slightly blush. Rukia, noticing this, gave a small smile, "so, you _do_ have someone to give chocolates to, don't you?"

Hajime started blushing even more and she tried to distract Rukia by dumping out the batch of chocolate and taking out ingredients to make new ones.

"Is it Nii-Sama?" Rukia bluntly asked with a suspiciously large smile on her face, Hajime's heart started to beat faster and she grew anxious.

"N-no, of course not! He-he's married!"

"Oh? Then why are you getting so flustered and so... Pink?" Rukia examined with a small chuckle.

"Rukia-"

"Oi!" A loud voice yelled out from the kitchen entrance, "didn't I tell you to fetch me a glass of wine?! How long does it take to fetch a glass?!"

"Ah, Akane-Sama, I was just helping Rukia make some chocolates-"

"Chocolate?" Akane questioned in a disgusted tone, "what for?"

"Did you forget, Valentine's Day is coming up." Rukia explained.

"Valentine's day?" As Akane was about to spill her feelings about how much she hates Valentine's Day, she remembered her fortune that said she and Byakuya were going to have a child and thought that if she can start showering him with affection, he might actually fall in love with her, "I see. Then, you'll make me a batch for me as well and send it to Byakuya-Sama at once, understood?"

"Eh? Ah, yes, right away!" Hajime gave a bow and Akane walked out of the room with a smug look.

"That's odd, Akane hates Valentine's Day and she's never given Nii-Sama a gift before, what made her change her mind?"

"It was probably their reading yesterday… Their child."

"Ah, you could be right. She's probably trying to sweeten him up. I hope Nii-Sama doesn't fall for it."

"If he's stuck in his marriage, I just hope he'll find happiness of some sort, and if that's falling in love with Akane, then I'll support it. But uh, we should start on making the chocolates, I actually have some homework I need to catch up on."

After about two hours of melting chocolates of different colors and pouring them into molds, hardening them, and even decorating them, the girls were pleased with their final results.

Rukia made chocolate Chappy figures and she was able to decorate them with different colored chocolate. As for Hajime she made small batches of chocolate roses, though they were actually for Akane since there weren't enough ingredients to make an extra batch for Hajime.

"You should just give those to Nii-Sama from yourself." Rukia stated, "every year, Nii-Sama usually doesn't get anything from Akane so I'm sure he wouldn't mind getting nothing again."

"But if I do that, I'll be going against Akane and with her mother here, I'd rather just obey her orders. Anyway, did you try the chocolate, how was it?"

"It was really good! Where'd you learn to make stuff like these?"

"Back in the human world, my mother and I would make chocolate and give them to each other, we used to have competitions and everything, it was fun." Reminiscing about the past and about her mother, Hajime's cheerful smile slowly faded away. "We should probably package these, we don't want them to get ruined." Rummaging through the cabinets, Hajime found several small pastel colored boxes tied with ribbon and thought those were perfect for the chocolate.

Once everything was all settled, the girls put the chocolates in the fridge until Valentine's Day.

* * *

It was finally time for Rukia to give Renji her homemade chocolates and as she walked to his chambers at the Sixth Division Barracks, she noticed a large pile of boxes on the floor of his room.

"Ah, Rukia!" Renji called out in happiness.

"Renji, what is all this?"

"Ah, well, it's chocolate…"

"Chocolate? You mean, you received these from other women?" Rukia stated in shock as she hid her box of chocolate behind her back.

"Rukia, don't worry about it. The only person that I'll ever accept chocolate from is you." Slowly, Rukia revealed her small box and handed it over to Renji.

"Is this what I think it is?" Renji's face started to turn a blush red, even though he said he would be happy to receive chocolates from Rukia, this is the first time it's ever happened and he was secretly excited.

Renji untied the light blue ribbon and opened the yellow lid, he raised his eyebrow and gave a small smirk, "Chappy?" he asked.

"What?" Rukia said as she looked away.

Renji gave a small chuckle and popped a piece of chocolate in his mouth, "Whoa, this is amazing!" he said in surprise.

"I'm glad. Hajime helped me with it, it looks like it was a good idea to get her help-"

Abruptly stopping her sentence, Renji planted a kiss on her lips and as they parted, they looked deeply into each other's eyes and kissed again.

. . .

At Kuchiki Manor, Hajime handed over the box of chocolate to Akane and she was starting to feel giddy. She made her way to Byakuya's room and immediately handed the box over to him with a large smile, "Happy Valentine's Day, Honey!"

Byakuya looked at her with a confused look but took the box out of her hands anyway. As he untied the white ribbon and opened the pink box, he looked at his chocolates with a face of surprise. The chocolate roses appeared in many different colored chocolates including, pink, red, white, and the usual milk chocolate. Byakuya was completely shocked and thinking that Akane made these, he was even more speechless.

"Akane, you made these?" He questioned doubtfully.

"Of course. I know these past few years we haven't celebrated Valentine's Day but since our readings revealed we are going to be with child, I thought we should make an attempt to get closer to one another and what better way than to make you homemade chocolate from my heart? Please, try one."

Byakuya picked up a piece of chocolate that looked to good to eat and placed it in his mouth, the sweetness overflowed as the chocolate melted in his mouth, "this is delicious." He spoke.

Akane gave a large smile, "I'm glad. Well, I'll let you continue your work."

As Akane left the room, she was proud of herself, thinking that she brought the two of them together, even if by just a little bit. -

White Day*

"Kuchiki-Sama, you called for me? It's late, did you need something?"

"Kisumoto-San, please come in and take a seat. I have something for you."

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"I have a gift for you."

"A gift? Ah, you didn't have to…"

Byakuya walked over to his cabinet and pulled out a fairly large box and placed it on the floor beside Hajime. "You've been working very hard, both at the Academy and here, so I thought a gift would be appropriate."

Hajime smiled and when she opened the box, her eyes widened.

The box was full of a variety of acrylic paints, paintbrushes, and canvases of different sizes.

"I'm not quite familiar with art supplies but the woman that assisted me said that these were the best materials at the moment. You said you weren't able to indulge in art since you've been here so I thought if you had the proper materials, you would enjoy yourself again?"

Hajime didn't know what to say, she was touched. She picked up the items and looked at the high-end materials with awe. She's never been able to afford such products and this was hands down one of the best gifts she's ever received.

"Kuchiki-Sama, I-I… Thank you."

"Happy White Day, Kisumoto-San."

"Eh? White Day…? Aren't you only supposed to give a gift to the person that gave you chocolate on Valentine's Day, it should be Akane-Sama then…"

"Akane and I have been together for almost five years now, I know she does not have the capability to make such appealing chocolates. Rukia also informed me that the one that made them was actually you. They were delicious and I thoroughly enjoyed them. Rukia also told me that White Day was approaching and I thought it only necessary to return the favor."

"You're already sponsoring my school funds, I didn't need anything else."

"Well, I also have something else for you."

"Another gift? This is already so much…"

"This isn't so much as a gift but returning something to its original owner." Byakuya reached inside his kimono pocket and took out a familiar lavender ribbon.

"My ribbon…" Hajime's eyes softened, "I thought I'd never see it again. Where did you find it?"

"That doesn't matter. All that matters is that it returns to its owner." Byakuya moved closer to Hajime and tied the ribbon around her wrist as she usually wears it. Hajime was speechless; she was so happy she had tears forming in her eyes.

"There, back where-" Before Byakuya was even able to finish his sentence, he felt warmth upon his lips. His eyes slightly widened and Hajime quickly pulled away from the kiss.

"Hajime…"

"I-I'm so sorry Kuchiki-Sama!" Hajime quickly got up and ran to her room.

Byakuya, still speechless, put his hands up to his lips and felt the lingering warmth. _Kisumoto-San… This stirring in my heart, is it because I am also attracted towards you? This is too dangerous._

Hajime buried her face in her pillow, embarrassed at what she's done. _Oh no, I'm dead. I'm so dead! Why did I do that? I just _kissed _him! I don't have feelings for him, do I? Do I… like him? No… I love him. Oh no… this wasn't supposed to happen!_

* * *

**[[ *White Day occurs on March 14, it's when guys return a gift to the girls that gave them chocolate on Valentine's Day. (:  
**

**Again, sorry for the kinda lame chapter, it'll get better, I promise! ]]**


	14. Internships

**[[ Hey everyone! I'm not dead, haha.**

**But man, it's been so long, I'm so sorry for all those of you who actually enjoyed this story.**

**I'm slowly trying to get back into the ease of things and the plot for this story, **

**so please bear with me! I managed to get one out of the gutter for you guys!**

**I'll be back again soon, hopefully! **

**I also apologize for any mistakes, just getting over a cold haha.]]**

* * *

"Kisumoto-San! Kisumoto-San!" Hajime, who was deep in thought, was called back to reality as her professor was repeatedly calling her name. "I have some news for you, you're being promoted to Zanjutsu 2 and Kido 4, congratulations, at this rate, you'll be graduating in no time. Here's your new schedule."

"Thank you, Sensei." As Hajime looked at her schedule, she released a long heavy sigh.

It's been a week since White Day and she has yet to make contact with Byakuya. Their training sessions were unofficially placed on hold and they have been avoiding each other ever since.

Making her way to Kido 4, she immediately went toward the empty seat in the front as she ignored the looks of her other classmates.

"Welcome to the class, Kisumoto-San! Why don't you demonstrate Bakudo #44 for us?"

Hajime got up unenthusiastically and walked over to the professor, "Bakudo #44: Sekisho." She said.

A wall of reiatsu quickly emerged.

"W-Wonderful!" The professor cried out in surprise, "Now, Takumi, please demonstrate, Bakudo #37 for us please?"

Hajime returned back to her seat and lost all motivation to learn today, _Kuchiki-Sama_, she thought unhappily as she buried her head into her desk.

. . .

A loud crash erupted from Byakuya's room and as Tanaka swiftly opened the door, he saw a shattered cup on the ground and blood dripping from Byakuya's finger.

"Kuchiki-Sama!" He called out in worry, "Someone, clean this up!" He yelled out to the workers in the hall.

"Don't worry too much Tanaka, it's alright." Byakuya said as he tried to pick up the pieces of glass only resulting in more injuries to his fingers.

"Kuchiki-Sama, please tend to your wound, we wouldn't want an infection."

"I understand." As Byakuya left to head to the kitchen, he bumped into Rukia.

"Nii-Sama, is everything alright?" Rukia observed her brother and noticed the blood dripping from his finger, "Nii-Sama, your finger!"

"You do not need to make a commotion Rukia, it's a small cut, and nothing some ointment wouldn't heal."

"I'll come help you." Rukia insisted as she walked beside Byakuya. The two actually haven't seen each other since White Day and as they were catching up with one another, Byakuya suddenly stopped walking. Rukia gave a confused look at Byakuya and saw that he was gazing timidly at someone, and that someone happened to be Hajime.

"Kisumoto-San…" Byakuya spoke softly.

"Kuchiki-Sama." Hajime acknowledged, Byakuya was about to speak when Hajime quickly cut him off, "I should go, my lunch break is over." She gave a small smile to Rukia and left the hall as quickly as she could.

_That was weird_, Rukia noted, "What happened between the two of you?"

"Nothing." Byakuya spoke as he continued to walk toward the kitchen.

"Nii-Sama, what happened?" Rukia spoke, causing Byakuya to turn and face her with a conflicted expression.

"As I told you before, your gift idea did indeed make Kisumoto-San happy on White Day but there was another gift I gave her as well. Akane stole a precious keepsake of hers and I managed to return it to her and when I did…" Byakuya brought his fingers up to his lips and the memory of the kiss still burned brightly in his mind, "our lips…" He wasn't able to even finish his sentence.

"Hajime… kissed you?!" Rukia exclaimed in shock.

"The next thing I knew, she already ran out the door. We haven't talked since that day. I feel as if I may have done something to lead her on…"

"Well… How did you feel when she kissed you?"

"Surprised, of course. And…"

"_And?_" Rukia urged.

"I-I do not know."

"Nii-Sama, I think it's pretty clear that she has feelings for you. And it seems you might have feelings for her too. So, what're you gonna do?"

"Rukia, I am married, Akane and I are celebrating five years of marriage in just a few months and the fortunetellers told us that a child is to be conceived-"

"I know." Rukia spoke as if she was being selfish, "But I just thought you'd finally get a chance to experience love and be truly happy."

"Thank you Rukia, but you do not need to worry about me."

. . .

Back at the Academy, Hajime went to her Zanjutsu 2 class and was greeted by a familiar orange haired friend.

"I-Ichigo?!" The bright haired male gave a large grin in Hajime's direction.

"Yo, Hajime! Glad to see you're doing well!"

"What-What're you doing here Ichigo?"

"Well funny you should ask-"

Before Ichigo could even explain himself, the professor stepped in and spoke for him, "Kurosaki Ichigo is our special guest today. With his Zanjutsu skills being one of the best we've seen, it's such an honor to have him here!" The professor said loudly as he praised Ichigo, "Alright guys, get into your groups, Kurosaki-Kun here will be helping you all train today."

Hajime was paired with a rich male student that didn't really care much for the company of others and since Hajime's Zanjutsu skills were still lacking, he used her as a stepping-stone to get noticed by the famed Kurosaki Ichigo.

"Ah, mind if I spar with Hajime here?" Ichigo asked the student, who was obviously angry that Ichigo took interest in Hajime instead of him.

"Didn't think I'd see you become a Shinigami, Hajime. How's it going?"

"I'm doing well in every class except for this one." Hajime stated with a sigh.

"Eh? I thought Byakuya was helping you train."

Hajime was caught off guard as she was swinging her katana at Ichigo, "Where did you hear that from? Wait, let me guess: Rukia?"

"She's really proud of how far you've come."

"Well, I don't think I'll be going any farther, I totally screwed my chances of training with Kuchiki-Sama again."

"What do you mean?"

Hajime hesitated; Maybe _I'll feel better if I talk to someone about it._

As their swords clashed and they were within a few inches of each other, Hajime blurted out, "On White Day, I kissed Kuchiki-Sama."

"What?!" Ichigo cried out louder then expected, catching the attention of all the other students. Giving the other students a large smile, he scratched his head embarrassingly, "Haha, I was just surprised at Hajime's skill level here, don't mind me." Walking closer to Hajime and putting his arm around her shoulder, he placed his face close to hers and spoke, "It's been a week since then, what happened after?"

"N-nothing… I mean I kind of ran away and we haven't talked since."

Ichigo let out a sigh and put his palm to his forehead in disappointment, "This isn't good Hajime, you should really go talk to Byakuya. How do you think he's feeling right now? You need to go talk to him! Today!"

Hajime sighed, "Alright, I'll talk to him when I return to the manor. Thank you, Ichigo." –

As Hajime returned to the manor, her schedule was cleared until nightfall since Akane and her mother went shopping for decorations for the ball in a few months. Hajime slowly made her way to Byakuya's room and paced in front of his door for a good minute.

_Ah, I don't know if I can do this but Ichigo was right. I need to talk to him, clear the air. _Finally mustering up the courage to talk to Byakuya, she knocked on the door and after not hearing an immediate response; Hajime thought it would be best to leave. As she was about to set off, the doors slid open and Byakuya looked at her in surprise.

"Kisumoto-San? Is there something I can help you with?"

Hajime slowly turned around and gave a small smile, "I think we should talk."

As Byakuya welcomed Hajime into his room, the two of them sat on the floor facing one another, though; neither of them knew what to say.

"Kuchiki-Sama… I-I'm sorry for k-k-kissing you!" Hajime gave a deep bow to Byakuya and as he tried to have her sit up, she wouldn't budge, "I-I wasn't thinking clearly and I'm really sorry if I offended you! I-I-"

"Hajime." He spoke her name gently and it felt as if daggers were stabbing into her chest. _Please, don't call me by my name. It will only make this harder than it has to be._

Hajime sat up and looked Byakuya in his eyes, "Kuchiki-Sama…"

"I have already forgiven you, you do not need to apologize so many times. However, I think it may be best we try to distance ourselves from one another as much as we can. I wouldn't want you to get hurt." As Byakuya was explaining his stance, Hajime lowered her gaze as to not show her wavering eyes. _I'm afraid that if I get any closer to you, Hajime, I will destroy everything this union stands for. _

"I understand." Hajime spoke as she looked at Byakuya with a gentle smile, "But we can still spar together right?" Hajime took out a piece of paper from her Academy uniform and showed her schedule to Byakuya, "I got into Zanjutsu 2 thanks to you."

"Of course. I made a promise that I would help you graduate as early as possible; I intend to keep my promise.

* * *

August 15th:

Hajime has been in the Academy for almost a year now and she still has a long way to go. Hajime was already promoted to Kido 6, Zanjutsu 4, and Shunpo 4, and she was starting her internship at one of the Squad's soon. She was eagerly awaiting her assigned squad form, as she was finishing up her paperwork in the administration's office.

"Okay, Kisumoto-San, looks like we only have two Squad's left for you to choose from, the other students got their forms into me first thing this morning." Hajime's advisor, Takahashi Haruka, spoke as she gave a form to Hajime, "We have Squad 9, where you will be studying under Assistant Lieutenant Hisagi Shuuhei who was quite a prodigy here at the Academy, or you have the option of working with Assistant Lieutenant Hinamori Momo, she was quite the Kido star as well, maybe you'd like some pointers from her?"

"Ah, I've actually heard so much about both of them and I've always wanted to work under Hisagi Fukutaichou, I feel as though I have a ton to learn, so I'd like to study with Squad 9 please!"

"Of course, I will send this over to Squad 9 right away, and remember that this is a one month internship, so pack accordingly."

"Eh? P-Pack?"

"Ah yes, I neglected to tell you. You will be rooming with Squad 9 for the duration of your internship; the whole point of this internship is to open your eyes as to what Shinigami do. Don't worry, this is everyone's favorite time of year, you'll have fun, trust me."

. . .

When Hajime walked back to the manor, she saw Akane in her room trying on multiple gowns in front of her mother. She wanted to tell Akane that she'd be taking a month off but she doesn't know if telling her about the internship is worse than simply leaving without giving any notification.

"Kisumoto." Minako spoke firmly, as she spotted Hajime outside Akane's doors, "Come here and look at these gowns, help Akane choose one for the ball next month."

"Eh? You want _me _to choose?"

"Just pick one." Minako said, "Which do you think will catch Byakuya's eye?"

Hajime walked over to Akane's bed where see saw three distinct gowns lay out; there was a blue dress, a red dress, and yellow dress. All three gowns were made from expensive fabrics and they all had a beautiful design but Hajime was attracted to the red dress; it was refined, clean, and one of a kind, just like Byakuya.

"Hmph, I guess the red it is then," Akane acknowledged while giving a scoff, "Send the swatch to the servants and have them decorate the ballroom to accentuate my gown, I want to look my very best. I also have a list of things for you to do as well."

"Ah, Akane-Sama, I actually have something to tell you." Akane didn't answer her, as she was still admiring the gowns in front of her, "I'm starting my internship tomorrow so I won't be present for a month's time."

"What?!" Akane and Minako cried in disapproval.

"Did you forget that before I became your personal maid, I was an Academy student? This is one of the requirements I need to complete in order to graduate. I'm sorry but you'll have to find somebody else to help you." And just like that, Hajime brought the swatch to one of Akane's maids and proceeded to her room to pack for her internship. While packing, Hajime received a surprise visit from Byakuya.

"Ah, Kuchiki-Sama, is something the matter?"

"No, not at all. I was simply reminded that the Squad internships are underway and you will be gone for a month's time. I just wanted to wish you good luck, you're in good hands with Hisagi Shuuhei." Byakuya explained as he extended out his hand to give Hajime a farewell handshake.

"Thank you, Kuchiki-Sama, I'll be back soon."

* * *

At Squad 9's Barracks, a group of five students were standing outside of the barrack doors filled with excitement, Hajime being one of them.

"Alright everybody!" A voice called out as the doors were beginning to open, "I'm sure you know who I am but for those that don't, I'm Assistant Lieutenant Hisagi Shuuhei and you'll be under my care for the duration of this internship. Come inside, we'll get the tour started."

The students quickly bustled inside and the members of Squad 9 greeted them warmly; everyone was excited about the internship course. After about two hours of going through the barracks, each student was shown to their rooms and was allowed to settle in before heading out to the field to train.

Each room was small enough to accommodate one person and as Hajime didn't have much belongings to begin with, she settled in much quicker than the others and headed to the training field first where Hisagi was already waiting.

"Yo, I remember you, Kisumoto, right?"

"Ah, yes! It's an honor to work under you, Hisagi Fukutaichou."

Hisagi gave a small chuckle, "Well since you're the first one out here, why don't we do some warm-ups?"

"Warm-ups?" Before Hajime was even able to finish her question, Hisagi quickly lunged at her, and Hajime managed to swiftly block with her katana.  
"Ha, you got good reflexes." Hisagi noted as he lunged backward.

"Well, I was taught by one of the best," Hajime spoke with a proud smile.

"Oh? And who would that be?"

"Kuchiki Byakuya." Then, before Hisagi was able to notice, Hajime disappeared and managed to strike Hisagi from behind. Though, Hisagi managed to evade the attack with no injuries.

"Ah, so you're the one I've been hearing about, the one Kuchiki Taichou is sponsoring."

"You-you've heard about me?"

"Of course I have, I've been keeping an eye on you ever since I spotted you taking the entrance exam, I wanted to know what kind of Shinigami you'll be."

"And so? Do you have your answer?"

"Not quite yet, but I hope when it's time for you to choose a division, Squad Nine will be on your list."

The four other interns seemed to have settled in quickly and were heard making their way to the training field, excitement oozing from every muscle.

"Alright everyone, today's first task, you'll all be teaming up to fight against… _her_." Hisagi pointed his katana at Hajime who looked at him with wide eyes, "State your name and year."

"Kisumoto Hajime, year 4."

"Kisumoto, you're today's target. If you can survive an hour without getting struck by one of these guys, you'll be excused from tonight's dinner preparations. However, if one of these guys lands a hit on you, they will be the one excused. Everyone understand?"

Everyone nodded as they prepared to attack Hajime.

_Let's see how you fare against these four, Kisumoto Hajime._ Shuuhei thought as he observed the five interns.

* * *

At Squad Six's Barracks, a confident looking girl pushed her way through the other four members of the group and gazed at Byakuya.

"I'm Hatsutori Miku, it's an honor to finally meet you Kuchiki-Taichou!" She gave a deep bow, as if she was a 90-degree angle.

"Ah, yes. Welcome to Squad Six everyone; I'm glad to have you all here with us. Come inside, we'll begin with a tour of the barracks." As Byakuya was guiding the students, they bumped into Renji, who Byakuya then forced to tag along with the tour.

"Everyone, as you may have already known, this is Abarai Renji, my Fukutaichou." All the students grinned at Renji, they all admired him and his strength.

After the tour was over, the students were shown to their rooms and were told to gather in the dining hall when they were all finished packing.

A banquet was prepared to welcome the hardworking students and before they began to eat, Akane stormed into the dining hall. "Honey!"

Renji gave a sigh, and all the students looked at Akane with interest.

"Akane, is something the matter, you don't usually make your way to the barracks." Byakuya walked toward Akane and whispered, "I also thought I told you that the internships were starting today. I won't be home as often this month."

"Yes well, that Kisumoto girl is also on internship, and without my personal attendant, how am I suppose to get things taken care of at the manor?"

"Akane-"

"Excuse me?" It was Miku that spoke, "Akane-Sama, I've heard a lot about you, and you are one of my role models. If you need help, I would be honored to help you in my free time during this internship. After all, I will be bunking here in these barracks. Of course, if that's okay with you, Kuchiki-Taichou."

"My, what a thoughtful offer, what do you say, _darling_?" Akane spoke in a tone with which Byakuya couldn't argue.

"Hatsutori Miku, am I correct? Are you sure you're willing to be my wife's personal attendant? With the combination of both our schedules, you will barely have a free moment in the day."

"It's no problem at all! I'll be glad to help!" Miku exclaimed with a smile.

"Excellent, now if you'd come with me, we have many things to prepare for for the ball next month!" Akane explained as she dragged Miku away from the crowd.

"Are you sure that was a smart decision?" Renji whispered from behind Byakuya.

"Hatsutori Miku is different from Kisumoto Hajime with just one glance, I'm sure she and Akane will get along quite well."

"That's a good thing then?"

"The opposite actually, besides her mother, she'll have someone else on her side."

"Ahh, two is bad enough already. Let's hope Hajime comes back quick!"

* * *

"haa, haa, haa." All the students interning at squad 9 were all out of breath and time was up. Hajime managed to defend herself against four of her classmates and was excused from making dinner for the night.

"Alright, Kisumoto, nice job!" Hisagi exclaimed while clapping, "Alright everyone, you all can get cleaned up and the four of you will be in the kitchen tonight." All the students packed up their gear and returned to their dorms, except Hisagi called after Hajime to talk to her before she left, "Kisumoto, let me ask you something, why did you decide you wanted to become a Shinigami?"

"Eh? Ah. Well, I wanted to get stronger; I didn't want to rely on others to save me. I want to save myself and I want to protect those that I care about."

Hisagi gave a smile, "Good answer. Alright, meet you at dinner,"

_All these students, they sure are working hard, it's going to hurt when they find out, at the end of this internship, only one student in this group gets a guaranteed spot in Squad 9._


End file.
